A^t*  •  ^ 


i 


AGRICULTURE, 


SO  M  I 


MISCELLANEOUS  RESULTS 


WORK  OF  THE  DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOUMiY. 


IV. 


PREPARED   UNDER   THE  DIRECTION  "OF— 


L.    O.    HOWARD 

, ENTOMOLOGIST. 


GOVEK  N  M  E  NT     P  mTS  T  I  N  G     ( >  F  F 


DIV1S10X  OF  ENTOMOLOGY. 

EniSmoloffisi:  L.  O.  Howard. 

tint  Assistant  Eniomoloyisi:  ( ,.  U  MM»    •  .         a        Frank  Benton. 

!»*«■■  ?■  A-  ^W^jS  'Van   s        C    Pratt,  An,.  Hunck,  Otto  Reide* 
issisUmts:  K.  S.  Clifton,  Nathan  hanks,  I  .  L. 

A.  N.  C'an.lell,  J-  Kotmsky. 
Artist:  MissL.  Sullivan. 


Bui.i.r  tin  N  -v  Series. 

U.  S.  DEPAR  r M  I  \  r  I  >l    AGRICl  LT1  RE, 

1>I\  I8I0N   OF   EN  rOMOLOO)  . 


so  M  E 


MISCELLANEOUS  RESULTS 


OF    TI  IK 


WORK  OF  THE  DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOLOGY, 


• 


IV 


PREPARED   UNDER   THE  DIRECTION  OF 

L.     O.     HOWARD, 
ENTOMOLOGIST. 


0 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE, 

1900. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Division  of  Entomology, 
Washington,  T).  C,  November  16,  1899. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  the  manuscript  of  a 
bulletin  which  contains  matter  similar  to  that  published  in  Bulletins  7, 
10,  and  18  of  the  new  series,  namely,  miscellaneous  articles  and  notes 
which  are  too  short  for  separate  publication,  but  which  are  of  sufficient 
importance  to  render  prompt  printing  desirable.  I  recommend  the 
publication  of  this  manuscript  as  Bulletin  Xo.  22,  new  series,  of  this 
Division. 

Respectfully,  L.  O.  Howard, 

Entomologist. 
Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
2 


i  ONTENTS. 


Tin:  Two  Most  Abundani  Pulvinarias  o\  Maple  (Pulvinaria  InnumerabilU 

Rathv.  and  Pnlvinaria  aoericola  W.  &   R.)  (illustrated) /..  0.  Howard..  7 

Tiik  Insects  rowHica  mx  name  " Kissing  Bugwbecami  applied  during 

mi:  si  rimer  of  1899  (illustrated) L.  0.  Howard..        24 

Ax  Envestigation   ro  determine  whether  Melanoplui  apretut  breeds  per- 
manently in  the  Turtle  Mountains  in  North  Dakota..  W.  Ik  Hunter..       30 
Tin:  Bronze  apple-tree  Weevil  (Mogdalis  cenescens  Lee.)  (illustrated). 

/■'.  //.  Chittenden..        37 
Two  New   Cecidomyiax^  DESTRUCTIVE  to  BUDS  of  Kosks  (illustrated). 

I).  U\  Coquillelt..         44 
ANew  Violet  Pest  (Diplosis  violieola  n.  sp.)  (illustrated).  .D.  TV.  Coquillett..        48 
rs  and  the  Weather:    Observations  during  the  Season  of  1899. 

F.  H.  Ch itte n de it . .  51 

Food  Plants  and  Injury  «>i   North  •American  Species  of  Agrilus. 

F.  H.  Chittenden..         64 

Experiments  with  Hvdkocyanic  Acid-Gas  as  a  .means  of  exterminating 
Mealy  Bugs  and  other  Insects  in  Greenhouses II.  D.  Hemenway..        69 

Scale  Ensects  on  American  Fruit  Imported  into  Germany. 

Abstract  of  a  paper  by  Dr.  L.  lieh..         79 

Eh8B<  t  (  ontrol  in  Riyerside,  California Felix  G.  Havens..        83 

-  ON  a  Brief  Trip  to   Puerto   Rico   in  January  and  February, 
1899 A.  Bnsck..         88 

( .  i  x eral  Notes 93 

A  Dipterous  Euemy  of  Cucurbits  iu  the  Hawaiian  Islands  (p.  93) ;  A  trouble- 
some Twig  Girdler  of  tbe  Southwest  (p.  94) ;  Notes  on  Cockroaches 
in  South  Australia  (p.  95) ;  Insectivorous  Habits  of  Lizards  (p.  96) ;  On 
the  Recent  Spread  of  the  Mediterranean  Flour  Moth  (p.  97) ;  Note  on  Two 
Species  of  "  Lightning  Hoppers  "  (p.  98) ;  Cotton  Insects  in  Egypt  (p.  99) ; 
A  Cotton  Stainer  in  Peru  (p.  100);  Biologic  Observations  ou  Harpalus 
pcnnsylvanicus  DeG.  (p.  100);  A  New  Western  Enemy  of  the  Colorado 
Potato  Beetle  (p.  102) ;  Notes  on  Miscellaneous  Insects  in  Kansas  (p.  103) ; 
An  Embarrassing  Feature  of  Foreign  Iuterdiction  against  American 
Plants  and  Fruits  (p.  103) ;  The  Green  June  Beetle  of  the  Southwest 
(p.  104) ;  A  Note  ou  the  Cocklebur  Bill-bug  (p.  104) ;  Reported  Injury  by 
Giant  Scarab;eid  Beetles  (p.  105);  Locusts  in  Argentina  and  Lourenco 
Marqnez,  Southeastern  Africa  (p.  105);  A  New  Clothes  Moth  Remedy 
(p.  106);  Nocturnal  Flight  of  Grasshoppers  (p.  106.) 

N  >tes  from  Correspondence 107 

Habits  of  Atta  insularis  Guerin  in  Cuba  (p.  107);  A  New  Name  for  an  Old 
Insect  (p.  107) ;  Injury  by  Wingless  May  Beetles  in  Texas  (p.  107);  The 
New  York  Weevil  in  Virginia  (p.  107) ;  Appearance  of  the  Twelve-spotted 
Asparagus  Beetle  near  New  York  City  (p.  107);  Recent  Injury  by  the 
Margined  Vine  chafer  (p.  108);  Food  Plants  of  the  Blister  Beetle  Henous 
oonferku  (p.  108);  The  Original  Home  and  a  New  Food  Plant  of  the 
Harlequin  Cabbage  Bug  (p.  108);  Injury  to  Strawberries  by  My odocha 
serripes  (p.  108) ;  Hibernation  of  the  Electric-light  Bug  (p.  108) ;  The  Pray- 
ing Mantis  as  an  Enemy  to  the  Apiary  (p.  108);  Mayflies  on  Lake  Erie 
(p.  108) ;  A  Plant-bug  Enemy  of  the  Green  Plant-bug  (p.109). 

3 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 


Fig.  l. 

2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

•    6. 

7. 

8. 
9. 

10. 
11. 

12. 
13. 
14. 

15. 

16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 

21. 
22. 
23. 

24. 


26. 

27. 

28. 


Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis  :  newly-hatched  young,  third  stage,  male  and 

female 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis:  male  larva,  second  stage 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis:  female  larva,  third  stage 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis  :  female  Larva,  fourth  stage 

Pulvinaria  inrcumerdbilis :  young  hibernal ing  female 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis  :  gravid  female 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis:  adult  male,  second  stage  of  pupa,  and  true 

pupa 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis :  adult  females  on  twigs  with  egg  sacs 

Pulvinaria  innumerdbilis:  female  with  fully  extruded  egg  sac  showing 

waxy  filaments  and  eggs  after  being  touched 

Eunotus  lividus :  adult  parasite  and  parasitized  scales 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  egg,  male  and  female  larvae  in  different  stages, 

and  adult  male... 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  larva  of  third  stage  and  early  hibernating  female. 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  male  pupa 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  late  hibernating  female 

Pulvinaria  acericola:  full-grown  fertilized  female  from  above  and  from 

side 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  full-grown  female  from  above  and  from  side 

Pulvinaria  acericola  :  full-grown  female  on  leaf;  same  with  egg  sac 

Reduvius  (Opsicates)  personatus 

Melanolestes  abdominalis:  male,  female,  and  mouth  parts 

Coriscus  subeoleoptratus :  short  winged  and  fully  winged  female  with 

piercing  rostrum 

lihasah  us  biguttatus 

Conorhinus  sanguisuga:  first  and  second  pupal  stages,  and  adult 

Conorhinus  sanguisuga:  newly  hatched  larva,  larva  in  second  stage, 

and  egg 

Conorhinus  sanguisuga  :  different  views  of  head,  showing  piercing  beak 

and  set;e 

Magdalis  cenescens :  weevil,  larva,  and  pupa 

Work  of  Magdalis  amescens,  showing  adult,  pupa,  parasite,  etc.,   in 

situ,  natural  size 

Xeocerata  rhodophaga  :  adult  with  enlarged  antenna 

Diplosis  violicola:    female  liy  with   auteunal  joints;    male  genitalia, 

and  larva 


8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
12 

13 

14 

14 
15 

17 
18 
19 
19 

20 
20 
21 

24 
26 

26 
27 
28 

29 


40 
45 

49 


REFACE 


The  present  bulletin  is  the  fourth  of  the  new  series  of  this  Division 
containing  miscellaneous  short  articles  and  notes.    The  article  on  the 

two  most  abundant  I'ulvinarias  on  maple  gives  a  summary  account  of 
the  life  history  and  habits  of,  and  remedies  to  be  used  against,  the 
common  cottony  maple  scale,  a  species  which  occasionally  does  great 
damage  to  shade  trees  in  the  Eastern  United  States  and  concerning 
which  the  Division  has  had  no  printed  matter  for  distribution  for  a 
number  of  years,  although  a  short  account  of  the  species  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Department  for  1884.  The  second 
part  of  this  article  brings  together  for  the  first  time  a  full  account  of 
the  maple-leaf  Pulvinaria,  a  species  which,  although  it  has  been  con- 
sidered identical  with  the  last-named  form,  was  rehabilitated  as  a  dis- 
tinct species  by  the  writer  last  year.  The  second  article  illustrates  the 
insects  which,  together  with  the  newspapers,  were  responsible  for  the 
remarkable  so-called  "kissing-bug  scare"  of  the  past  summer,  and  it  is 
here  published  in  response  to  an  extraordinary  demand  for  information 
by  correspondents  as  to  the  actual  truth  of  the  newspaper  stories. 
Reports  on  the  destructive  locusts  in  the  West  for  the  year  1899  are 
at  this  time  of  unusual  interest  on  account  of  undoubted  flights  of  the 
true  Rocky  Mountain  locust,  or  "destructive  grasshopper"  (Melanoplus 
spretns),  in  certain  portions  of  the  Northwest.  Mr.  Chittenden's  arti- 
cles on  the  bronze  apple-tree  weevil  and  the  food  plants  and  injury  of 
species  of  Agrilus  are  in  continuation  of  his  investigations  on  fruit  and 
garden  insects  and  of  an  investigation  begun  in  1898  on  the  pernicious 
bronze  birch  borer  (Agrilus  anxius),  while  his  article  on  insects  and 
the  weather  is  an  interesting  and  suggestive  consideration  of  the  insect 
conditions  following  the  severe  winter  of  1898-99.  Mr.  Coquillett's  two 
articles  and  that  of  Mr.  Hemenway  will  be  of  interest  to  florists  and 
greenhouse  owners.  The  abstract  of  the  paper  by  Dr.  L.  Reh  on  the 
scale  insects  found  on  American  fruit  imported  into  Germany  is  a 
summary  of  a  somewhat  extended  series  of  observations,  and  is  of 
interest  to  exporters  of  American  fruits  as  showing  the  importance  of 
sending  abroad  only  perfectly  clean  fruit.  The  article  by  Mr.  Felix  G. 
Havens  is  a  careful  account  of  the  excellent  work  done  against  inju- 
rious insects  by  the  County  Horticultural  Commissioners  of  Riverside 
County,  Cal.,  and  is  published  for  the  information  of  officers  in  other 

5 


r 


6 

States  engaged,  or  about  to  be  engaged,  in  similar  work.  Mr.  Busek's 
report  on  a  brief  trip  to  Puerto  Rico  is  in  Hue  with  other  articles  pre- 
viously published.  The  trip  was  made  at  slight  expense  to  the  Divis- 
ion, owing  to  the  courtesy  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Fish 
and  Fisheries,  and  was  practically  a  reconnaissance  expedition  to  gain  a 
preliminary  idea  of  the  abundance  of  destructive  insects  on  the  island 
and  the  probability  of  the  entrance  of  new  injurious  species  into  the 
United  States  through  increased  commercial  relations  with  the  island. 
The  insects  collected  on  the  trip  have  been  named,  but  only  the  list  of 
scale  insects  is  published  at  this  time. 

Housekeepers  will  be  interested  in  Mr.  Tepper's  Australian  remedy 
for  cockroaches  and  Dr.  Fisher's  clothes-moth  remedy,  while  the  infor- 
mation given  about  the  recent  spread  of  the  Mediterranean  flour  moth 
will  interest  those  connected  with  milling  industries. 

L.  O.  H. 


L 


SOME  MISCELLANEOUS  RESULTS  OF  THE  WORK  o 
THE  DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOLOGY. 

IV 


THE  TWO  MOST  ABUNDANT  PULVINARIAS  ON  MAPLE. 

(Pulvinaria  innumt  rabilia  K'atliv.  and  Pulvinaria  auricula  \Y.  &  R.) 
By   I..  0,  Howard. 

The  old  and  well-known  cottony  maple  scale  (Pulvinaria  innumera- 
bilis  Rathv.)  has  been  the  subject  of  many  published  articles  on  account 
of  its  occasional  extreme  abundance  and  on  account  of  the  conspicu- 
ous damage  which  it  does  to  maple  shade  trees  in  cities.  It  is  true 
that  the  species  of  the  genus  Pulviuaria  have  not  as  yet  been  properly 
and  systematically  studied  in  this  country,  although  several  investi- 
gators are  now  engaged  in  such  work,  and  it  is  altogether  possible  that 
more  than  one  species  is  even  at  this  late  date  confused  under  Rathvon's 
name. 

This  possibility  is  emphasized  by  the  comparatively  recent  discovery 
by  the  writer  that  a  form  occurring  upon  maple  leaves,  and  which  was 
figured  as  long  ago  as  1808  by  Walsh  and  Riley  under  the  name  Leca- 
nium  acericola,  a  name  which  was  considered  by  J.  Duncan  Putnam 
and  subsequent  writers  as  a  synonym  of  Pulvinaria  innumerabilis,  is  in 
reality  a  perfectly  distinct  and  thoroughly  characteristic  species,  as  will 
be  shown  in  the  second  section  of  this  article.  So  also  the  closely 
allied  form  occurring  upon  Osage  orange  to  which  the  name  Lecanium 
maclurce  was  given  by  Walsh  and  Riley  in  18G8,  but  which  has  since 
been  considered  to  be  identical  with  Rathvon's  species,  is  now  consid- 
ered by  Professor  Cockerell  to  be  distinct. 

These  forms  being  thus  separated  from  Pulvinaria  innumerabilis, 
there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  careful  study  may  establish  the  occur- 
rence of  other  species  living  upon  maple  and  allied  trees,  and  that  in 
consequence  the  true  P.  innumerabilis  may  have  a  more  restricted  geo- 
graphic distribution  than  is  here  given  it.  It  is  worthy  of  remark, 
moreover,  that  Professor  Cockerell  has  described  as  at  least  a  variety 
the  form  occurring  upon  maple  branches  in  the  State  of  Washington. 
This  he  calls  P.  innumerabilis  var.  occidentalis. 

7 


I.  THE  COTTONY  MAPLE  SCALE. 


<  Pulvinaria  innumerabilis  Rath  von.) 


Original  home  and  present  distribution. — This  is  a  scale  insect  native 
to  the  United  States  which  was  originally  found  by  Dr.  S.  S.  Bath  von 
at  Lancaster,  Pa.  Later  it  was  found  by  Walsh  and  Riley  and  other 
observers  to  be  very  abundant  and  occasionally  very  injurious  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  frequently  noticed  in  the  Northeastern  cities, 
especially  in  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington.  It 
lias  been  sent  to  this  office  by  correspondents  in  Massachusetts,  Ver- 
mont, New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  Georgia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Missouri,  and  what  is  apparently  the  same 
species  has  been  received  from  Port  Worth,  Tex.,  Omaha,  Nebr.,  and 
from  Idaho,  Oregon,  and  Washington,  as  well  as  northern  and  southern 
California. 


Fig.  1.— Pulvinaria  innumerabilis:  a,  newly-hatcked  young;  b,  female,  third  stage,  from  above;  c, 
same,  from  side;  d,  male,  third  stage;  e,  same,  natural  size,  on  leaf  and  petiole;  /,  same,  enlarged, 
on  leaf  petiole  showing  two  specimens  parasitized — all  greatly  enlarged  except  e  (original). 

Food  plants. — As  its  popular  name  indicates,  this  insect  is  generally 
found  upon  maple.  It  seems  especially  to  thrive  upon  the  so-called 
silver-leaf  maple  {Acer  saccharinum),  but  it  is  also  found  upon  Norway 
maple  and  the  sugar  maple,  as  well  as  upon  Acer  dasyearpum.  It 
occurs  abundantly  upon  the  box-elder  (Kegundo  negundo),  and  it  or  a 
very  closely  allied  species  is  found  upon  the  Osage  orange  (Madura 
aurantiaca  \.  During  the  summer  of  1S98  it  was  found  at  Washington 
by  the  writer  occurring  upon  red  mulberry  (Mortis  rubra);  and  it  has 
been  received  from  Prof.  George  C.  Butz,  of  State  College,  Pa.,  upon 
Aralia  japonica.  According  to  Prof.  C.  V.  Piper,  the  Northwestern 
form  (occidcntalis)  affects  apple,  pear,  alder,  willow,  hawthorn,  poplar, 
currant,  and  lilac,  which  diversity  of  food  offers  strong  argument  for 


the  specific  distinctness  of  the  so-called  variety.  Etilej  Aim.  Kept. 
I  .  8.  Dept.  A.gr.3  L884,  p.  362)  gives  as  the  t'<»«»«l  plants  of  this  spe 
Maple,  grapevine,  Osage  orange,  oak,  linden,  elm,  back  berry,  Bycamore, 
rose,  currant,  and  Boonymus,  and  Putnam  adds  locust,  sumach,  wild 
grape,  bos  elder,  beech,  and  willow.  <  Sareful  studies  of  the  forms  occur- 
ring on  all  of  these  plants  are.  however,  liable  to  indicate  specific 
differences. 

Habits  and  life  history, — This  species  is  a  large  naked  scale  insect, 
which  is  rendered  conspicuous  during  the  summer  by  a  large  white 
cottony-like  egg  mass  at  the  end  of  the  body  of  the  female  insect. 
Perhaps  unnoticed  previously,  they  suddenly  attract  almost  everyone's 
attention  in  the  month  of  June,  for  the  reason  that,  although  prior  to 
that  time  they  have  been  inconspicuous  Hat  scales  of  much  the  same 
coloration  as  the  hark,  in  June  the  brilliant  egg  mass  is  pushed  out  of 
the  body.  These  insects 
appear  frequently  in  enor 
mous  numbers  on  maple 
trees  grown  as  shade  trees. 
sapping  their  vitality,  and 
thus  becoming  of  much 
economic  importance. 

The  life  history  of  this 
species  was  worked  out 
with  elaborate  care  by  J. 
Duncan  Putnam,  of  Dav- 
enport, Iowa.  Mr.  Put- 
nam's paper  was  published 
in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Davenport  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences  (Volume 

II,    December^    lc><9,  pages     Fig. 2. — Pulmnaria  innumerabilis:  male  larva,  second 
293— 347)     and  Was  illllStra-        gJW&J  enlarged,  with  antenna  and  leg  above,  still  more 
,     n       .'  1*11        ,.   i    \        enlarged  (original). 

ted  by  two  carefully  etched 

plates.  His  descriptions  of  the  different  stages  were  so  carefully  drawn 
that  descriptive  details  maybe  omitted  from  this  article.  The  account 
of  the  life  history  which  follows,  however,  is  based  upon  observations 
made  at  Washington  and  upon  notes  taken  by  Mr.  T.  Pergande,  the 
assistant  in  charge  of  the  insectary  at  this  office. 

The  young  lice  hatch  early  in  the  summer,  usually  in  the  month  of 
June,  but  occasionally  at  least  as  early  as  May  22.  The  hatching 
period  usually  extends  on  into  early  July,  but  may  last  until  August. 
They  soon  settle  upon  the  ribs  of  the  leaves,  very  rarely  upon  the  twigs. 
They  seem  to  prefer  the  lower  surface  of  the  leaves,  but  many  settle 
at  a  later  date  on  the  upper  surface.  It  has  been  noticed  that  those 
upon  the  lower  surface  seem  to  grow  more  rapidly  than  those  upon  the 
upper  surface.  In  the  course  of  a  month  they  undergo  a  molt  and 
begin  to  secrete  a  certain  amount  of  wax  from  the  dorsal  surface  of  the 


1  \ 


w 


10 


body,  which  gradually  spreads  in  a  more  or  less  homogeneous  layer 
over  the  surface.  This  first  molt  sometimes  occurs  at  Washington  by 
June  10,  and  a  second  molt  by  June  22. 

From  young  larvae  which  hatched  on  July  1,  1898,  the  first  adult 
males  issued  on  August  18,  the  full  grown  male  scales  being  readily 
distinguished  from  the  partly  grown  females  by  their  narrower  and 
more  convex  form.  On  reaching  full  growth  the  male  larva  assumes 
the  propupal  form  within  its  scaly  covering,  and  therefore  without 
strictly  casting  skin.  In  a  few  days  the  propupa  casts  off  its  skin  and 
assumes  the  true  pupa  form,  which  during  its  earlier  stage  is  of  a  pale 
green  color,  becoming  dark  flesh  color  at  a  later  date.  The  true  pupal 
stage  lasts  only  a  few  days,  when  the  winged  females  appear,  remaining 

a  day  or  two  below  the  scale 
before  coming  forth.  The 
molted  skins  of  the  propupa 
and  the  pupa  are  seldom  seen 
on  the  tree,  as  they  are  easily 
dislodged  by  the  wind. 

At  the  time  when  the  males 
emerge  the  females  have  un- 
dergone two  molts  and  are  of 
a  pale  green  color,  marked 
with  a  brown  dorsal  stripe 
for  the  whole  length  of  the 
body.  The  males  copulate 
with  the  females  late  in  Au- 
gust and  early  in  September, 
and  early  in  October  those 
females  which  have  escaped 
the  attacks  of  parasites  and 
other  natural  enemies  begin 
to  take  their  station  on  the 
nearby  twigs.  A  change  in 
color  from  green  to  buff  is 
noted  at  this  time  and  all  are  covered  with  a  barely  perceptible  cover- 
ing of  waxy  secretion.  They  are  broadly  oval  and  still  quite  flat.  In 
this  condition  the  females  remain  through  the  winter,  the  males  having 
in  the  meantime  died. 

With  the  opening  of  spring,  however,  the  females  begin  to  grow 
rapidly,  the  eggs  developing  in  great  numbers,  and  by  May,  or  as  early 
as  April  15  at  Washington,  the  formation  of  the  egg  sac  begins.  The 
egg  sac  is  composed  of  threads  of  fine  wax,  extruded  from  spinnerets 
near  the  end  of  the  body.  These  threads  become  matted  together  and 
gradually  form  a  large  cushion  under  and  behind  the  body  of  the 
female.  Into  this  mass  as  it  grows  are  gradually  extruded  the  oval, 
light-colored,  slightly  reddish-yellow  eggs,  which,  as  above  stated,  hatch 
during  June  and  July  and  on  into  August.    The  growth  of  the  egg  sac 


Fig.  3.— Pulvinaria  innumerabilis :  female  larva,  third 
stage,  greatly  enlarged,  -with  leg  below  and  antenna 
above,  still  more  enlarged  (original). 


n 


pushes  the  hinder  end  <>f  the  body  of  the  female  upwards  until  when 
the  sac  Is  completed  she  la  practically  standing  on  her  head,  the  body 
being  at  an  angle  from  45  degrees  to  Dearly  vertical* 

The  development  of  the  insect  during  the  summer  oi  L899  at  Wash 
ington  was  more  rapid  than  daring  L898,  and  considerably  more  rapid 
than  as  described  by  Putnam  for  his  Iowa  region.    The*  indi 

rated  in  a  previous  paragraph,  commenced  to  hatch  .May  22;  the  young 
larva1  bad  begun  to  settle  iii  numbers  by  May  26,  tin-  hatching  contin- 
uing, however,  for  many  days;  on  June  i<>  the  first  larvae  were  observed 

to  east  their  first  skins,  which   for  some  time  adhered  to  the  end  oft  lie 

body,  resembling  a  small  twisted  string.     By  dime  22  they  commenced 

to  east  their  second  skin,  still  retaining  the  same  general  appearance 
but  having  become 
considerably  larger. 
The  differentiation 
between  m  ales  and 
females  was  plainly  ob- 
servable at  this  time, 
tbe  males  being  nar- 
rower and  more  elon- 
gated. The  dorsal 
secretion  became  no- 
ticeable at  this  time. 
Ou  July  7  they  were 
still  apparently  in  the 
third  stage,  but  some 
of  the  females  had  be- 
come marked  with  the 
peculiar  purplish  radi 
ating  lines  characteris- 
tic of  this  insect.  (See 
figure  1.)  By  July  26. 
some  of  the  males  had 
already  cast   a    third 

SKin,  and   Were   nOW  lU     ^IG.  ^.—I'ldiinaHa   innumerolrilis:    female    larva,    fourth    stage, 
the     last     Or     f  O  U  r  t  h        greatly  enlarged,  with  leg  at  right  and  antenna  at  left,  still  more 
,  J™  ,  enlarged  (original). 

stage.    The   antennne, 

which  up  to  this  time  were  7-jointed,  had  now  become  8-jointed. 
The  male  larvae  at  this  time  still  resembled  the  females  to  some 
degree,  although  they  were  smaller  and  narrower,  and  of  a  pale 
yellowish  or  whitish  color,  covered  with  a  glossy  covering.  There 
seemed  to  be  two  propupa  stages.  After  casting  the  second  skin, 
the  male  larva  loses  its  rostrum  and  its  anal  cleft,  although  the  wing 
pads  have  not  yet  developed j  the  antenna?  are  stout  and  laid  back- 
ward without  perceptible  points,  and  the  end  of  the  body  is  furn- 
ished with  two  long  conical  tubercles.  After  the  third  skin  is  cast,  an 
apparent  propupa  stage  is  found  which  bears  wing  pads  reaching  to 


12 


FlG.  .">.  -  l'ulriiui ria  innumer- 
abilis:  young  hibernating 
female,  from   above — greatly 

enlarged  (original). 


the  abdomen;  the  claw  of  the  tibia  is  lost,  and  between  the  posterior 
tubercles  has  appeared  the  stout,  rudimentary  style.  The  true  pupa, 
specimens  of  which  were  also  found  as  carry  as  July  26,  needs  no 
description.  The  adult  males  began  to  issue  on  the  same  date  for  cer- 
tain specimens,  and  as  early  as  August  G  females  had  begun  to  migrate 
to  the  trunk;  by  August  21  all  of  the  young 
females  had  left  the  leaves  and  migrated  to  the 
stem.  It  should  be  stated  that  these  observa- 
tions of  1899  were  made  upon  a  young  potted 
tree  in  the  insectary.  The  temperature,  how- 
ever; was  x^ractically  the  same  as  out  of  doors. 
So  great  had  been  the  parasitism  of  the  insect 
outside,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  make 
observations  on  potted  trees  under  glass  both 
in  1898  and  1899  in  order  to  preserve  the  species 
for  observation. 

Briefly  then,  there  is  one  annual  generation : 
the  young  hatch  in  early  summer  and  settle 
upon  the  tivigs;  the  males  appear  at  the  end  of 
August  and  early  in  September ;  they  fertilize 
the  females,  which  migrate  to  the  twigs,  where 
they  remain  unchanged  through  the  winter,  rapidly  swelling  in  the 
spring  and  forming  the  egg  mass  in  early  summer. 

The  insect  is  a  notable  one  from  its  frequent  sudden  appearance  in 
great  numbers.  After  being  almost  unnoticed  for 
a  series  of  years  it  will  appear  in  excessive  num- 
bers, apparently  injuring  shade  trees  to  a  consider- 
able extent;  then,  without  insecticide  measures 
having  been  employed,  it  will  as  quickly  disappear. 
These  sudden  appearances  and  disappearances  are 
due  very  largely  to  fluctuation  in  numbers  among 
natural  enemies  of  the  species,  as  will  be  shown 
in  the  following  paragraph. 

Natural  qnemies. — Birds  destroy  the  full-grown 
scales,  although  one  would  hardly  suppose  a 
mouthful  of  wax  to  be  very  palatable.  The  writer 
has  often  observed  the  English  sparrow  apparently 
feeding  upon  this  species. 

The  usual  predatory  insects  which  feed  upon 
other  scale  insects  seem  equally  fond  of  this  species, 
and  the  twice-stabbed  ladybird  (Chilocorus  bind- 
nerus)  is  one  of  its  especial  enemies,  as  was  long 
ago  pointed  out  by  Miss  Emily  A.  Smith.  The 
little  insignificant  ladybird  beetle, known  as  Hijper- 
<tspis  si(/n<it<i.  is  also  a  common  predatory  enemy  of  the  species. 

In  1879,  in  Washington,  D.  0.,  it  was  found  that  the  most  effective 
enemy  of  the  scale  Avas  a  predatory  caterpillar  described  at  that  time 
by  Professor  Comstock  as  Dakruma  coccidivora.     This  caterpillar  flour- 


Fig.  G.—l'vlrlnaria  innu- 
oncrabilis:  gravid  female, 
greatly  enlarged,  before 
commencing    to     secrete 

egg     sae     in    the    spring 
(original). 


[3 

ished  upon  iwi-s  upon  which  the  Beales  were  closely  massed  together, 
and  ate  its  way  through  the  mass  from  one  scale  to  another,  Bpinning  ;i 
close,  rather  dense  web  as  it  progressed^  Bach  caterpillar  in  this  wBiy 
destroy  ed  very  manj  scale  insects.    The  writer  has  always  though  I  that 

it   was  due   to   this   insect    alone  that    t  lie  cot  ton  v  nisliiuii    scale  almost 

disappeared  from  the  Washington  shade  trees  in  the  close  of  L879,  and 
was  never  seen  here  again  in  any  great  abundance  until,  in  the  summer 
of  L898,  nineteen  years  later,  it  became  once  more  rather  conspicuous, 
all  hough  by  no  moans  as  abundant  as  in  the  formeryear.  The  Dakruma 
larva  not  only  destroys  the  old  and  worn-out  female  Pulvinaria  but 
devours  her  eggs  and  young  larva-  with  avidity.  The  caterpillars  are 
very  active,  moving  about  freely  within  their  silken  passages.  They 
were  found  to  be  full  grown  on  dune  24,  spun  their  cocoons  within  the 
silken  tunnel,  and  remained  ten  days  in  the  pupal  state.  The  moths 
issued  from  duly  17  to  August   13,  soon   thereafter  ovipositing  and  lay- 


Fto.7. — Pulvinaria  imiumerabilis:  re,  adult  male;  b,  antenna  of  same;  c,  leg  of  same;  d,  second  stage 

of  pupa;  e,  cast  skin  of  same:  /,  Hue  pupa:  g,  cast  skin  of  same— all  greatly  enlarged,  b  and  <•  still 
more  enlarged  (original). 

ing  their  eggs,  which  hatched  in  six  days.     Whether  another  generation 
of  moths  issues  the  same  year  has  not  been  determined. 

An  even  more  important  enemy  of  the  cottony  maple  scale  than  the 
Dakruma  larva  or  the  ladybirds  just  mentioned  is  a  minute  Ghalcidid 
fly  known  as  Coccophagus  lecanii  (Fitch).  This  species,  which  has  been 
reared  from  a  number  of  different  scale  insects  of  the  Lecanine  group, 
is  very  widespread  and  appears  frequently  in  astonishing  numbers. 
It  was  due  to  this  parasite  that  it  was  found  almost  impossible  to  carry 
the  scale  insects  through  the  season  at  Washington  in  1898;  of  the 
many  thousands  of  scale  insect  larvae  which  settled  upon  trees  under 
observation  it  is  safe  to  say  that  much  less  than  1  per  cent  reached 


14 


full  growth.  During  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September  they 
were  stung  by  this  little  parasite,  which  laid  its  eggs  in  their  bodies; 
soon  afterwards  they  turned  black,  the  adult  parasites  issuiug  from 
holes  cut  through  the  backs  of  their  bodies.  The  development  of  the 
parasite  was  plainly  seen  to  be  very  rapid,  occupying  certainly  not 

more  than  two  or  three 
weeks,  and  there  was 
therefore  a  succession  of 
generations,  with  an  in- 
crease in  numbers  in 
geometrical  progression, 
until  really  the  wonder 
is  that  a  single  scale 
insect  escaped. 

The  writer  had  uncler 
close  observation  a  branch 
of  a  large  Xorway  inaple 
tree  growing  in  the  Smith- 
sonian grounds,  which  in 
June  was  fairly  plastered 
with  the  egg  sacs  of  the 
Pulvinaria,  while  in  July 

FlO.  8.— I'ulvinaria  lannmeraliU*-:  adult  females  in  position  on  its     leaves     Were     thicklv 
twigs,  with  egg  sacs-natural  size  (original).  speckled    with   newly  Set- 

tled young;  in  August  he  spent  an  entire  morning  trying  to  find  a 
living  scale  insect,  but  without  exception  all  which  were  found  had  been 
killed  by  this  important  parasite.  The  little  Coccophagus  even  gained 
access  to  the  Insectary.  Potted  maple  trees  stocked  with  the  scale 
insects  were  discovered  by  them,  and  the  scale  was  exterminated, 
although  the  little  trees 
had  been  swarming  with 
these  scales,  and  although 
daily  an  assistant  h  a  d 
picked  oft'  and  crushed 
those  which,  through  a 
change  in  color,  indicated 
the  presence  of  the  para- 
sitic egg  or  larva.  It  is 
this  species  probably  more 

than  any  Other  Which  is  Fig.  9.— PtdvinariainnumerabiUs:  adult  female,  with  folly 
responsible  for   the    rlllCtll-       extruded  egg  sac  showing -waxy  filaments  and  eggs  as  they 

appeal'  after  l>ein<z;  touched — enlarged  (original). 

ations  in  numbers  ot   the 

cottony  inaple  scale.  As  the  writer  has  elsewhere  pointed  out  in  speak- 
ing of  parasites  of  the  grain  plant-louse,  it  is  probably  only  through  the 
influence  of  a  damp  and  rainy  season,  which  prevents  these  active  little 
( Ihalcidids  from  Hying  about  to  any  extent,  that  the  scale  is  able  to  over- 
come the  effects  of  its  attacks,  enormously  prolific  as  the  Pulvinaria  is. 


1: 


Other  members  of  the  same  Bubfamilyof  parasites,  the  A.phelininffi, 

1kl\  e  also  been  reared  from  the  cottony  maple  scale.    The  species  known 

as  Coeoophagus  flavoamUllum  Ashm.,  a  more  southern  species  than 

ophagus  lecaniij  does  almost  equally  effective  work  in  the  more 

southern  portion  of  the  geographic  range  of  the  scale. 

Another  important  parasite  belongs  to  the  snbfamily  Encyrtin®,  and 
has  recently  been  named  by  the  writer  Atropates  collinsi  in  honor  of 
Mr.  Lewis  Collins,  secretary  of  the  Brooklyn  'Free  Planting  and  Foun- 
tain Society,  who  has  had  to  fight  the  cottony  cushion  scale  and  lias 
been    greatly    interested    in    its   study.      The    Atropates   \v:is    reared   at 

Washington  in  1889  and  L891  from  females  of  Pulvinaria  innumerabilU 

received  from  Mr.  Collins  and  from  L.  II.  West,  of  lloslyn,  X.  V.     All 
Of  the  parasites  issued  late  in  .July. 

Still  another  parasite  is  the  Eunotus  lividus  Ashm.,  a  single  specimen 
of  which   was  reared    March  4,  1899,  from  specimens  of   Pulvinaria 

received  from   Mr.  Collins.     This  insect  belongs  to  a  curious  and  dis- 


Fin.  lu.— Eunutus  lividus,  greatly  enlarged,  with  male  ami  female  antennae  above — still  more  t-nlargedi 
and  cocoons  under  old  scale  at  left,  also  enlarged  (original). 

tinct  group  of  the  subfamily  Pirenime,  all  of  the  species  of  which, 
from  all  of  the  specimens  that  the  writer  has  been  able  to  determine 
from  oriental  forms,  are  parasitic  upon  the  large  scale  insects.  Other 
specimens  were  reared  April  12  and  April  18  from  old  scales  found 
upon  maples  on  the  grounds  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
examination  of  the  host  insects  showed  a  point  of  interest  in  the 
biology  of  the  parasite.  The  early  stages  of  Euuotus  and.  its  allies 
have  not  hitherto  been  observed,  but  these  specimens  issued  from  a 
small  bunch  of  coarse  but  stout  cocoons  which  had  been  spun  under 
the  body  of  the  Pulvinaria.1  A  characteristic  bunch  of  these  cocoons 
is  shown  at  fig.  10. 

1  Mr.  Pergande  has  called  the  writer's  attention  to  an  interesting  fact  which  shows 
that  Fitch  just  escaped  rearing  Euuotus  many  years  ago.  In  his  Third  Report  on  the 
Insects  of  New  York,  published  iu  1859  (p.  109),  he  describes  Lecanium  i-ibis,  and  states 


16" 

Other  parasites  of  this  scale  arc  Aphycus pulvinariceHow.i  described 
from  specimens  reared  by  Mr.  Putnam  in  Iowa,  and  Gomysfusca  How., 
a  common  and  widespread  parasite  of  Lecaniine  scales. 

Remedies, — In  view  of  the  statement  already  made  that  the  insect  is 
rarely  injurious  in  two  consecutive  years,  it  might  seem  as  though  no 
remedies  were  really  necessary;  but  it  has  been  found,  in  the  experi- 
ence of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  that  the  damage  in  a  single  season  may 
be  so  great  as  to  render  long  rows  of  shade  trees  unsightly.  It  is  con- 
sidered, therefore,  to  be  the  best  policy,  when  the  insect  appears  in  great 
numbers,  to  await  the  hatching  of  the  young  and  shortly  thereafter  to 
prune  rather  severely.  In  the  case  of  especially  valuable  trees  this 
pruning  should  be  followed  with  either  a  summer  spraying  with  a  dilute 
kerosene  soap  emulsion  or  a  winter  spraying  in  the  autumn  with  whale- 
oil  soap  in  the  proportion  of  1  pound  to  2  gallons  of  water.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  determine  whether  the  winter  spraying  is  necessary  by  a 
careful  examination  of  specimen  twigs  from  trees  in  different  parts  of 
the  city.  Thus,  in  the  winter  of  1888-89,  it  was  easy  to  see  in  Wash- 
ington that  the  scale  would  be  scarce  the  following  summer,  while  in 
Brooklyn  Mr.  Collins  was  able  to  determine  the  exact  localities  in  the 
city  where  insecticides  would  probably  be  necessary  the  following  season 
by  estimating  the  proportion  of  living  scales. 

II.  THE  MAPLE  LEAF  PULVINARIA. 

(Pulvinaria  acericola  W.  &  R.) 

Original  home  and  present  distribution. — This  scale  insect  is  also 
apparently  a  native  of  the  United  States,  and  seems  to  have  been  also 
originally  fouud  by  the  late  Dr.  S.  S.  Eathvon  at  Lancaster,  Pa.  He, 
however,  while  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  are  probably  two 
species  of  Pulvinaria  to  be  found  upon  the  maple  tree,  one  of  them 
occasionally  being  found  upon  the  leaves,  did  not  decide  to  establish 
any  specific  distinction  between  them. 

In  Volume  I  of  the  American  Entomologist,  however,  Riley  and  Walsh, 
on  page  14,  figured  a  Pulvinaria  upon  a  maple  leaf  received  from  B.  W. 
McLean,  of  Indiana,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  Lecanium  acericola. 
This  was  considered  by  later  writers,  namely,  J.  Duncan  Putnam  and 
Emily  A.  Smith,  to  be  synonymous  with  the  Pulvinaria  innumerabilis 
of  Eathvon,  and  it  was  not  until  the  writer  in  Bulletin  No.  17,  new 
series,  of  this  Division,  pages  57-58,  called  attention  to  the  excellence 
of  this  figure  and  to  the  distinction  between  the  insect  represented  and 

that  he  reared  from  it  several  brilliant  green  parasites.  Examining  the  type  speci- 
mens of  Fitch's  Lecanium  ribis,  now  in  the  possession  of  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture,  Mr.  Pergaude  found  that  the  scales  had  disappeared,  but  that  the 
small  bunch  of  Eunotus  cocoons  was  attached  to  the  twig  in  such  a  position  that 
tiny  were  under  the  original  scale.  The  minute  perforations  in  these  cocoons 
showed  that  the  parasite  mentioned  by  Fitch  was  a  secondary  parasite,  probably  of 
the  genus  Tetrastichus. 


17 

the  brae  PulvinQria  innumerabilis,  that  its  validity  as  a  species  iras 
established.  Although  Walsh  and  Riley  submitted  do  description,  the 
figure  is  so  characteristic  as,  tinder  the  accepted  rales  of  zoological 
nomenclature,  to  carry  the  name. 

The  same  inseol  is  said  by  Walsh  and  Riley  to  occur  al  Davenport, 
[owa,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  riffany;  and  it  has  been  received  al  this 
office  from  Prof.  Banter  Nicholson,  of  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  .Mr.  R.  II. 
Petti  t,  of  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  who  found  it  at  Ithaca.  N.  v., 
and  (roni  Mr.  E.  EL  Malone,  who  found  it  abundant  and  injur ioos  at 


Fig.  11.— Pulvinaria  accricola:  a,  egg;  b,  newly-hatched  larva;  c,  antenna  of  same;  d,  female  larva, 
early  spring  condition,  from  helow;/,  full-grown  male  larva;  g,  adult  male:  h,  tarsus  of  same— all 
greatly  enlarged;  c  and  h  still  more  enlarged  (original). 

Dothan,  Ala.  The  writer  also  has  been  told  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Smith  that 
it  occurs  at  New  Brunswick,  N".  J.  It  also  has  been  found  in  the  east- 
ern section  of  the  city  of  Washington,  D.  0.,  by  Mr.  Busck,  of  this 
office.  The  species,  therefore,  has  rather  a  wide  range  in  the  United 
States. 

Food  plants. — The  only  tree  upon  which  the  species  has  so  far  been 

found  is  the  common  silver-leaf  maple,  now  known  as  Acer  saccharin  um. 

For  purposes  of  study  the  insect  was  colonized  in  June,  1898,  on  some 

foreign  maples  on  the  grounds  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Acer 

11G08— No.  22 2 


18 

platanoide8,  A.  pseudo-platanus,  and  A,  palmatum.  They  developed 
gradually  upon  these  trees,  but  died  out  in  the  course  of  the  year,  which 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  the  species 
will  not  thrive  on  any  of  these  maples. 

Habits  and  life  history. — Occurring,  as  this  insect  does,  exclusively 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  maple  during  the  summer  time,  it  is  necessary 
for  its  existence  that  it  should  vary  in  its  habits  and  life  periods  from 
the  species  which  we  have  just  studied;  in  other  words,  there  must  be 
a  migration  in  the  autumn  from  the  leaves  to  the  twigs  before  the  leaves 
fall,  and  there  must  be  a  return  migration  in  the  spring  or  early  summer 
from  the  twigs  to  the  leaves.  In  the  case  of  Pulvinaria  innumerabilis, 
only  the  one  migration  seems  to  be  necessary,  and  that  is  only  a  partial 
migration,  namely,  from  the  leaves  to  the  twigs  in  the  autumn.  It  is 
only  partial  for  the  fact  that  many  of  the  young  settle  and  develop  upon 
young  twigs  of  the  present  year's  growth. 

In  his  announcement  of  the  validity  of  the  Walsh-Riley  species  in 


Fig.  12. — Pulvinaria  acerieoia:  a,  larva  of  third  stage — early  hibernating  female — with  tarsus  and 
antenna  at  right;  b,  larva?  of  third  stage  on  lower  side  of  leaf,  before  migrating  to  twigs;  6,  enlarged; 
a,  greatly  enlarged,  with  tarsus  and  antenna  still  more  enlarged  (original). 

Bulletin  No.  177  new  series,  of  this  Division,  the  writer  announced  that 
he  had  the  species  under  daily  observation  at  Washington,  and  expected 
at  an  early  date  to  publish  its  full  life  history.  This  statement  was 
made  in  August.  1898.  and  from  that  time  down  to  October,  1899,  the 
species  was  under  almost  constant  observation.  Full  notes  on  the  life 
history,  including  descriptions  of  the  different  stages,  have  been  made 
under  the  writer's  direction  largely  by  Mr.  T.  Pergande.  and  also  by 
Mr.  1).  W.  Coquillett,  with  occasional  assistance  from  Mr.  A.  Busck ;  and 
from  these  notes  and  the  writer's  observations,  the  following  summary 
of  the  life  history  of  the  insect  is  drawn  up: 

Eggs  from  specimens  received  from  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  began  to  hatch 
the  end  of  June,  1898.  Eggs  from  specimens  received  from  Dothan, 
Ala.,  in  1899  began  to  hatch  May  27.  Eggs  received  from  Knoxville, 
Tenn..  June  G,  1899,  were  still  unhatched.  In  Washington  the  secretion 
of  the  Qgg  sac  and  the  depositing  of  eggs  in  the  mass  of  wax  and  fibers 


1!) 


Pio.  V&.—Pulvinaria 

acericola :  male 
pupa,  greatly  en- 
larged (original). 


composing  the  sac  began  late  In  May  and  continued   gradually  until 
Dearly  the  middle  of  June.     Larvae  began  (<>  hatch  <>ii  June  L3, 

The  newly  hatched  larvae  are  <>t'  ;i  very  i ►; » 1«*  yellowish  color,  with 
mediaii  line  Blight  l\  brownish,  and  the  eyes  dark  purple. 
Tfce  antennae  are  Bix-jointed,  joints  3  and  »'.  longest  and 
subequal  in  length,  4  and  5  also  subequal  and  together 
about  as  long  as  joint  3;  the  two  basal  .joints  are  also 
subequal,  each  about  as  long  as  joints  I  and  5,  the  first 
joint  being  Btoutest.    There  is  a  bristle  near  the  apes 

at  the  inner  side i  of  joints  3  to  5,  and  several  at  both 
sides  and  apex  of  t  he  sixth  joint.     The  digitules  of  the 

tarsi  are  extremely  tine:  those  of  the  claws  stouter  and 
shorter;  and  all  art'  capitate.  Anal  bristles  are  long 
and  curved.  The  surface  of  the  body  is  densely  rugose, 
especially  toward  the  sides:  and  the  edge  of  the  body 
is  closely  and  sharply  serrate. 

On  July  31  the  larva- commenced  to  cast  their  first 
skin.  They  were  still  of  a  very  pale  yellowish  white 
color  and  almost  transparent,  though  a  very  few  speci- 
mens were  marked  near  each  end  of  the  body  with  a 
pale  purplish  spot.  In  other  respects  they  resembled  the  larvae  of  the 
first  stage  except  that  they  were  a  little  longer  and  broader.  The 
antenna'  were  still  six-jointed,  though  somewhat  longer  than  before; 
logs  and  their  digitules  as  before;  the  bristles  around  the  edge  of  the 

body  were  somewhat  longer  than  in 
the  first  stage,  but  the  anal  ones 
were  much  shorter  and  but  slightly 
longer  than  the  others;  all  were 
situated  on  small  cylindrical  tuber- 
cles which,  however,  were  slightly 
enlarged  at  the  apex. 

The  growth  from  this  time  was 
very  slow,  aud  not  until  October 
was  the  second  skin  cast  in  the 
year  of  1899.  In  1898,  however,  a 
few  larvre  of  this  third  stage  were 
observed  as  early  as  July  2G.  In 
1899,  many  by  October  15  had 
already  left  the  leaves  and  had  set- 
tled on  the  twigs.  They  were  of  a 
pale  brownish  yellow  color,  some- 
what darker  along  the  medio-dorsal 
ridge,  and  were  characteristically 
marked  with  a  large  reddish,  almost 
crimson,  medio- dorsal  spot  on  the  prothoracic  segment,  and  a  similar 
spot  just  in  front  of  the  anal  cleft.  The  eyes  were  minute  and  black. 
They  were  nearly  twice  as  large  as  before,  aud  at  this  time  the  sexes 


Fig.  H.—Pulvinaria  acericola:  late  hibernatin 
female,  greatly  enlarged ;  natural  size  on  fcwi 
at  right  (original). 


Fig.  l').—l'uhutaria  acericola  :  a,  a  full-grown  fertilized  female, 
seen  from  above,  in  May  before  the  secretion  of  the  egg  sac ; 
b.  same  from  side— greatly  enlarged  (original). 


20 

could  not  be  distinguished.     As  seen  under  the  microscope  the  dorsal 

surface  was  finely  granulate,  with  numerous  transparent  spots  around 

the  anal  region  and  a  row 
^gg  of  seven  or  eight  spots 

iiN  each  side  of  the  median 

ridge  between  the  two 
reddish  spots.  The  an- 
tenna; were  now  seven- 
jointed  and  gradually 
tapered  toward  the  end, 
the  third  joint  being 
somewhat  the  longest, 
joints  4  and  7  next,  and 
subequal  in  length,  and 
5  and  6  shortest,  nearly 
of  equal  length  and 
together  being  a  little 
longer  than  the  seventh. 
Joints  4  to  6,  each  had  a 
bristle -bearing    notch, 

and  the  seventh  had  apparently  three  such  notches  on  each  side.     The 

tarsal  digitules  were  long,  slender,  and  of  equal  length,  while  those 

of  the  claws  were  of 

unequal  length ;   the 

shorter  one  was  very 

stout,  curved  upward, 

and  the  other  one  was 

fine,  almost   straight 

and  capitate,  as  were 

those  of  the  tarsus. 

The  hairs  around  the 

margin   of  the  body 

seemed  more  numer- 
ous.    By  October  21 

most  of  the  larv;e  had 

settled  on  the  trunk 

and  branches  for  hi- 
bernation. 

In    October,    1898, 

the    distinction    b  e  - 

tween  the  males  and 

females  could  be  ob- 
served.    The  females 

were    more    broadly 

oval  than  the  males, 

though  all  were  very  similar  in  coloration,  possessing  the  large  reddish 

spots  just  described.     The  antennae  of  both  were  7-jointed,  though  rela- 


Fig.  16.—Fulvinaria  acericola  :  a,  full-grown  female,  from  above,  just 
beginning  to  secrete  egg  sac;  b,  same  from  side — greatly  enlarged 
(original). 


21 


tively  much  shorter  than  in  P.  innumerdbili*.  About  the  time  when 
the  migration  to  the  twigs  began,  late  in  October,  the  great  majority 
of  the  larvae  were  round  on  the  underside  of  leaves,  mostly  along  the 
ribs.    A  large  number  were  also  found  on  adjoining  twigs,  generally  In 

and  around  the  forks,  in  o\(  rescuers,  or  near  buds  or  Other  projections. 

At  this  time  they  run  about  quite  actively  in  Bearoh  of  Buitable  places 
for  hibernation.     At  this  time  is  noticeable  the  delicate  layer  of  waxy 

secretion  which  gives  the  insect  a  somewhat  grayish  appearance.    This 

secretion  is  more  or  less  distinctly  broken  up  so  as  to  form  ;i  -erics  of 
waxy  plates. 

On  November   1,   L898,  practically  all  of  the  larva;  bad  settled  for 
hibernation.      I'pon  one  branch  about  IS  inches  long  150  larva-  were 
counted.     They  were  most  numerous  on  twigs  and  branches  from  one 
eighth  to  one- fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.     None  had  appreciably 
increased  in  size,  but  their  color  was  considerably  darker  and  more 


Fig.  17. — Pulvinaria  acericola:  a.  full-grown  female,  from  above,  on  leaf,  with  24  hoars'  secretion  of 

m  :  b,  same,  with  egg  sac  completed,  from  side;  c,  same,  from  above — enlarged  (original). 

dingy  looking,  harmonizing  quite  well  with  the  coloration  of  the  bark. 
This  change  in  color  seems  to  be  due  to  the  waxy  secretion,  which 
serves  as  a  winter  covering  and  also  as  a  means  of  concealment.  So 
close  does  this  resemblance  in  color  to  the  bark  become  that  to  the 
naked  eye  a  twig  thickly  covered  with  the  insects  seems  simply  blis- 
tered or  pustulate. 

In  December  the  conditions  had  changed  but  slightly.  The  larvae 
were  of  a  dingy,  yellowish  gray  color,  more  or  less  spotted  with  purple, 
except  the  mediodorsal  ridge,  which  was  entirely  yellowish.  The  whole 
surface  was  rather  rough  and  covered  each  side  with  three  more  or  less 
distinct  rows  of  round  or  squarish  scales  of  waxy  secretion,  looking 
like  tortoise  shell.     On  March  31  there  had  been  practically  no  change. 

By  the  8th  of  April,  on  potted  trees,  were  found  both  males  and 
females.  The  largest  females  were  about  3ni,n  in  length  by  1.8n,m  in 
diameter.     They   were  dark  purple  in   coloration,  with  the  median 


22 

ridge  yellow,  and  were  still  provided  on  each  side  of  the  ridge  with 
three  to  five  rows  of  roundish,  more  or  less  projecting  masses  of  white 
waxy  secretion.  The  male  insect  was  about  2.4m,n  by  0.8mm  in  diameter, 
and  of  the  usual  Lecanium  shape.  It  was  purplish  brown  and  covered 
with  a  transparent  layer  of  waxy  secretion  which  was  divided  into 
l  luce  scci  ions.  The  anterior  and  posterior  sections  were  each  about 
one-fourth  of  the  length  of  the  body,  and  the  median  sections  about  oue- 
half  of  the  length  of  the  entire  body.  This  median  section  was  bordered 
at  each  side  by  a  row  of  more  or  less  confluent,  squarish,  white,  flat, 
waxy  scales.     The  general  appearance  is  well  indicated  by  fig.  11. 

By  April  22  the  first  male  had  transformed  to  a  pupa,  as  shown  in 
fig.  13.  The  color  of  the  pupa  is  reddish  brown,  darkest  dorsally, 
with  the  wing  pads,  legs,  and  antennae  paler;  the  anterior  legs  are 
directed  forward  and  curved  around  the  head;  the  others  lie  close  to 
the  body  and  are  directed  backward;  the  median  pair  reach  to  the 
fourth  abdominal  segment,  and  the  posterior  to  near  the  end  of  the 
body.  The  wing  pads  reached  slightly  beyond  the  posterior  margin  of 
the  second  abdominal  segment.  The  style  is  short  and  stout,  and  with 
a  pointed  lobe  on  each  side.  There  is  a  small  patch  of  woolly  secretion 
externally  near  the  coxre  of  the  anterior  and  median  legs.  The  length  of 
the  pupa  is  1.6mm.  By  April  28  the  anal  filaments  of  the  male  had  begun 
to  protrude,  and  by  May  1  the  adult  had  emerged.  On  May  18  large 
females  with  swollen  bodies,  indicating  that  impregnation  had  taken 
place,  were  found.  They  were  5.5miu  in  length  by  3.5mm  in  diameter 
and  2"im  high.  They  were  of  a  dark  purplish  color,  with  a  brownish- 
yellow  mediodorsal  stripe,  ornamented  on  each  side  with  three  rows  of 
small  waxy  scales  or  points,  presenting  the  appearance  as  indicated  in 
fig.  15. 

On  May  22,  females  began  to  move  from  the  young  branches  out 
upon  the  twigs,  and  on  May  23  one  had  reached  the  under  side  of  a 
leaf  and  had  commenced  to  form  its  ovisac.  In  the  course  of  twenty- 
four  hours  the  extruded  white  wax,  forming  nearly  a  complete  circle 
about  the  insect,  longer  toward  the  anal  end,  had  reached  a  width  of 
about  lmm;  Forty-eight  hours  later  it  had  reached  a  length  of  5mm  and 
was  distinctly  divided  from  the  first  secretion  by  a  deeply  impressed 
line.  The  first  wax  extruded  contained  no  eggs,  but  the  real  ovisac, 
comprising  the  last  4 n,m  extruded,  was  full  of  eggs.  The  true  ovisac 
has  numerous  transverse  ridges  which  are  divided  lengthwise  by  two 
deep  grooves.  As  the  ovisac  increased,  the  body  of  the  female  was 
tilted  up  more  and  more  and  became  more  shrunken  in  size.  At  the 
end  of  the  third  day  the  body  had  shrunken  to  a  size  a  little  more  than 
half  of  its  former  dimensions,  the  abdomen  having  contracted  into  four 
transverse  folds;  the  color  had  become  lighter  than  at  the  beginning 
of  the  migration,  and  the  extreme  margin  was  pale  yellowish.  After 
two  weeks  the  ovisac  had  become  10miu  long  by  nearly  5,mu  broad, 


28 

tapering  gradually  toward  the  anterior  end  and  presenting  theappear 
(Mice  shown  at  ii^-.  17.  li  was  composed  <>!'  four  Btrongly  rounded 
Longitudinal  ridges. 

On  June  L3  the  larvae  began  to  hatch,  and  thus  we  have  the  life  round 
completed. 

Summarized,  then,  the  life  history  is  as  follows:  The  eggs  batch  in 
June  from  the  ovisac  of  the  females  attached  generally  to  the  under 
surf  ace  of  the  leaf.  The  larvae  casl  two  skins,  and  in  the  autumn—  late 
in  October — crawl  to  the  twigs,  where  they  hibernate,  in  the  spring 
they  begin  to  grow.  The  males  issue  in  May,  fertilize  the  females,  which 
toward  the  end  of  May  migrate  to  the  leaves,  extrude  their  ovisac  filled 
with  eggs,  from  which  the  young  begin  to  hatch  in  June  once  more. 
There  is  probably  a  Bpring  moult  of  the  larvae,  but  tin's  was  not  observed. 

In  none  of  the  occurrences  which  we  have  noted  above,  except  in  the 
one  at  Dothan,  Ala.,  lias  the  insect  been  so  numerous  as  to  cause  pinch 
damage.  Mr.  Malone  stated  in  his  letter  of  May  25,  1809,  that  one  of 
his  trees  was  in  places  literally  covered  with  the  insect,  which  had 
caused  a  number  of  twigs  and  smaller  side  limbs  to  die. 

Natural  enemies. — The  only  enemy  observed  in  Washington  is  one  of 
the  ladybird  beetles  (Hyperaspis  signata  Oliv.),  which  was  received  in 
the  larval  condition  from  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  feeding  on  the  scale. 

From  the  specimens  of  this  scale  collected  by  Mr.  Pettit  at  Ithaca, 
X.  Y.,  in  1893,  he  reared  six  parasites,  which  were  sent  to  the  writer  for 
determination.  They  proved  to  be  Chalcidids  (Aphycus  hederaceus 
Westw.,  Aphycus  fldvus  How.,  Coccophag us  fraternus  How.,  Pachyneuron 
altiscuta  How.,  and  Ghiloneurus  albicornis  How.)  and  a  small  fly  (Lett- 
copis  nigricornis  Egger).  The  same  Coccinellid  {Hyperaspis  signata 
Oliv.)  was  also  reared  by  Mr.  Pettit. 

Remedies. — There  is  always  a  chance  that  it  may  be  desirable  to  use 
some  remedial  treatment  against  this  insect,  as  at  any  time  it  is  liable 
to  increase  in  numbers  and  become  more  or  lessHestructive.  A  strong 
whale-oil-soap  wash  during  the  winter  will  undoubtedly  kill  the  hiber- 
nating individuals,  and  any  treatment  which  will  cause  a  premature 
falling  of  the  leaves  will  be  efficient  as  greatly  reducing  the  numbers  of 
the  insect.  The  use  of  its  leaves  to  a  tree  is  practically  completed 
some  little  time  before  the  leaves  really  fall,  and  therefore  knocking 
them  off  with  a  strong  stream  of  water,  or  spraying  with  a  strong 
kerosene-soap  emulsion  which  may  even  kill  the  leaves,  will  do  no 
harm  at  this  time  and  will  kill  the  insects. 


24 


THE  INSECTS  TO  WHICH  THE  NAME  "  KISSING-BUG*'  BECAME 
APPLIED  DURING  THE  SUMMER  OF  1899. 

]iy  L.  O.  Howard. 

Iii  a  paper  read  before  the  Zoological  Section  of  the  American  Asso- 
ciation  for  the  Advancement  of  Science1  the  writer  gave  some  account 
of  the  so  called  "kissing-bug"  craze,  which,  origiuating  in  the  city 
of  Washington,  in  June,  1899,  spread  over  almost  the  entire  United 
States,  and  which,  encouraged  by  the  newspapers,  resulted  in  one  of 
the  most  interesting  cases  of  widespread  popular  alarm  arising  from  a 
comparatively  insignificant  cause  which  has  occurred  in  the  present 
scientific  and  matter-of-fact  century. 

While  very  many  different  insects  have  been  brought  to  entomolo- 
gists as  undoubted  specimens  of  the  kissing-bug,  including  a  large 
number  of  perfectly  harmless  forms,  several  species  of  heteropterous 
insects,  each  one  of  which  is  capable  of  inflicting 
a  more  or  less  severe  wound  with  its  beak,  have 
helped  to  authenticate  the  scare,  and  it  seems 
true  that  two  of  them,  namely,  Melanolestes 
picipes  and  Beduvius  personatus,  have  been  more 
abundant  than  usual  this  year,  at  least  around 
Washington.  They  have  been  captured  in  a 
number  of  instances  while  biting  people,  and  one 
or  the  other  of  them  is  undoubtedly  responsible 
for  the  original  cases  in  the  Emergency  Hospital 
at  Washington,  which  gave  rise  to  the  first 
newspaper  stories. 

The  writer  has  thought  it  advisable  to  bring 
together  an  account  of  six  of  the  most  prominent 
of  these  bugs,  which  with  greater  or  less  fre- 
quency pierce  the  skin  of  human  beings,  and  to 
illustrate  them,  as  a  matter  of  record. 

Opsivates  personaius,  also  known  as  Beduvius  personatus  (fig.  18), 
and  which  has  been  termed  the  u cannibal  bug,"  is  an  European  species 
introduced  into  this  country  at  some  unknown  date,  but  possibly  follow- 
ing close  in  the  wake  of  the  bedbug.  In  Europe  this  species  haunts 
houses  for  the  purpose  of  preying  upon  bedbugs.  Kiley  in  his  well- 
known  article  on  "  Poisonous  insects,"  published  in  Wood's  Eefeience 
Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  states  that  if  a  fly  or  another  insect  is 
ottered  to  the  cannibal  bug  it  is  first  touched  with  the  antenna?,  a  sud- 
den spring  follows,  and  at  the  same  time  the  beak  is  thrust  into  the 
prey.  The  young  specimens  are  covered  with  a  glutinous  substance  to 
which  bits  of  dirt  and  dust  adhere.  They  move  deliberately,  with  a 
long  pause  between  each  step,  the  step  being  taken  in  a  jerky  manner. 
The  distribution  of  the  species  as  given  by  Renter  in  his  Monograph 
of  the  Genus  Reduvius  is:  Europe  to  the  middle  of  Sweden,  Caucasia, 


Fig.  IS.— Reduvius  (Opsi 

jyeisonatus :  About  twice  nat- 
ural size  (original). 


Published  in  the  Popular  Science  Monthly  for  November,  1899. 


28 

Asia  Mmor,  Algeria,  Madeira;  North  America  -Canada,  New  Vmk, 
Philadelphia,  Indiana:    rasmania;  Australia:  from  which  n  appeart 

tliat  the  insert  is  already  practically  cosmopolitan,  and  in  tact  may 
almost  be  termed  a  household  insect.  The  collections  of  the  I'.  S. 
National     Museum     and    of    Messrs.     Ileidemann    and    Chittenden,    of 

Washington,  l>.  0.,  indicate  the  following  localities  for  this  species: 
Locust  Bill,  Va.:  Washington,  D.O.j  Baltimore,  Md.:  Ithaca.  N.  v.; 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  Keokuk,  Iowa. 

The  l>ite  of  this  species  is  said  to  l>c  very  painful,  more  SO  than  the 
sting  of  a  bee,  and  to  be  followed  by  .numbness  (Lintner).    One  of  the 

eases  brought  to  the  writer's  attention  this  summer  was  that  of  a  Swede 
servant  girl,  in  which  the  insect  was  caught,  where  the  sting  was  upon 
the  neck  ami  was  followed  by  considerable  swelling.  LeConte.  in 
describing  an  insect  of  this  species  under  the  synonymical  name 
Reduvius  pungens^  gives  Georgia  as  the  locality,  and  makes  the  follow- 
in-;  statement:  "This  species  is  remarkable  for  the  intense  pain  caused 
by  its  bite.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  ever  willingly  plunges  its  ros- 
trum into  any  person,  but  when  caught  or  nnskillfully  handled  it 
always  stings.  In  this  case  the  pain  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  the 
bite  of  a  snake,  and  the  swelling  and  irritation  which  result  from  it 
will  sometimes  last  for  a  week.  In  very  weak  and  irritable  constitu- 
tions it  may  even  prove  fatal."  (Proc.  Acad.  Xat.  Sci.  Phil.,  Vol.  VII, 
p.  404.  1854-65.) 

The  second  eastern  species  is  Mela  notes  tes  picipes.  This  and  the 
closely  allied  and  possibly  identical  M.  abdominalis  (fig.  19)  are  not  rare 
in  the  United  States  and  have  been  found  all  through  the  Atlantic 
States,  in  the  West  and  South,  and  also  in  Mexico.  They  hide  under- 
neath stones  and  logs  and  run  swiftly.  Both  sexes  of  M.  picipes  in  the 
adult  are  fully  winged,  but  the  female  of  M.  abdominalis  (fig.  19)  is 
usually  found  in  the  short-winged  condition.  Prof.  P.  E.  Uhler  writes 
(in  litt.):  "  Melanolestes  abdominalis  is  not  rare  in  this  section  (Balti- 
more), but  the  winged  female  is  a  great  rarity.  At  the  present  time  I 
have  not  a  specimen  of  the  winged  female  in  my  collection.  I  have 
seen  specimens  from  the  South,  North  Carolina  and  Florida,  but  I  do 
not  remember  one  from  Maryland.  I  am  satisfied  that  M.  picipes  is 
distinct  from  M.  abdominalis.  I  have  not  known  the  two  species  to 
unite  sexually,  but  I  have  seen  them  both  united  to  their  proper  con- 
sorts. Both  species  are  sometimes  found  under  the  same  flat  stone  or 
log  and  they  both  hibernate  in  our  valleys  beneath  stones  and  rubbish 
in  loamy  soils."  Specimens  in  Washington  collections  show  the  follow- 
ing Realities  for  M.  abdominalis:  Baltimore,  Md.,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Wilmington, Del.,  New  Jersey,  Long  Island,  Fort  Bliss,  Tex.,  Louisiana, 
and  Keokuk,  Iowa.;  and  for  M.  picipes:  Washington,  D.  C,  Kosslyn, 
Va.,  Baltimore,  Md.,  Derby,  Conn.,  Long  Island,  a  series  labeled  New 
Jersey,  Wilmington,  Del.,  Keokuk,  Iowa,  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  Louisiana,  Jackson,  Miss.,  Barton  County,  Mo.,  Fort  Bliss,  Tex., 
San  Antonio,  Tex.,  Crescent  City,  Fla.,  and  Holland,  S.  C. 


26 


This  insect  has  been  mentioned  several  times  in  entomological  litera- 
ture. The  fust  reference  to  its  bite  was  probably  made  by  Townend 
Glover  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  for 
1>7~».  page  130.  In  Maryland,  he  states,  .1/.  picipes  is  found  under 
stones,  moss,  logs  of  wood,  etc.,  and  is  capable  of  inflicting  a  severe 
wound  with  its  rostrum  or  piercer.     In  1888  Dr.  Lintner,  in  his  fourth 

report  as  State  entomologist  of  New 
York,  page  110,  quotes  from  a  corre- 
spondent in  Natchez,  Miss.,  concern- 
ing this  insect:  "I  send  a  specimen 
of  a  fly  not  known  to  us  here.  A  few 
days  ago  it  punctured  the  finger  of 
my  wife,  inflicting  a  painful  sting. 
The  swelling  was  rapid,  and  for 
several  days  the  wound  was  quite 
annoying."  Until  comparatively 
recently  this  insect  has  not  been 
known  to  the  writer  as  occurring  in 
.  fi   houses  with  any  degree  of  frequency. 

FIG.    19.— Melanohstcs    abdominahs :     d\    adult  "  °  . 

male;  ?,  female:  laad  and  piercing  beak  at  In  May.  1895,  however,  I  received  a 
left  of  male  above  -about  twice  natural  size  specimen  from  an  esteemed  corre- 
spondent, Dr.  J.  M.  Shaffer,  of  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  together  with  a  letter  written  on  May  7.  in  which  the  state- 
ment was  made  that  four  specimens  flew  into  his  window  the  night 
before.  The  insect,  therefore,  is  attracted  to  light,  or  is  becoming 
attracted  to  light,  is  a  night  flyer,  and  enters  houses  through  open 
windows.  Among  the  several  cases  of  bites  by  this  insect,  coming 
under  the  writer's  observation,  one  has  been  reported  by  the  well-known 
entomologist,  Mr. 
Charles  Dury,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  in  which 
this  species  (M.  picipes) 
bit  a  man  on  the  back 
of  the  hand,  making  a 
bad  sore.  In  another 
case,  where  the  insect 
was  brought  for  our 
determination  and 
proved  to  be  this  spe- 
cies, the  bite  was  upon 
the  cheek  and  the 
swelling  was  said  to  be  great  but  with  little  pain.  In  the  third  case, 
occurring  at  Holland,  S.  0.,  the  symptoms  were  more  serious.  The 
patient  was  bitten  upon  the  end  of  the  middle  finger,  and  stated 
that  the  first  paroxysm  of  pain  was  about  like  that  resulting  from  a 
hornet  or  a  bee  sting,  but  almost  immediately  it  grew  ten  times  more 
painful  and  a  feeling  of  weakness  followed  with  vomiting.     The  pain  was 


Fig.  20.— Comet**  subeoleoptratus :  a,  short-winged  female  adult 
(braehypterous  form):  b.  winged  female;  c,  piercing  rostrum, 
seen  from  side,  twice  natural  size  (original). 


27 


Celt  to  Bhool  ap  the  arm  to  the  anderjaw,  ami  the  Bickneu  lasted  fora 
Dumber  of  days.     A  fourth  case,  at    Port    Bliss,  Tex.,  is  in  teres  tin 
having  occurred  in  bed.    The  patient  was  bitten  on  the  hand  with  very 
painful  results  and  bad  Bwelling. 

The  third  of  the    eastern    species.  Corisms  SUbOOltOptrattU    li.LT.  20  .  is 

said  by  Qhlerto  have  a  general  distribution  in  the  Norl  hern  States,  and 
is.  like  the  species  immediately  preceding,  a  native  insect.  There  is  no 
record  of  any  bite  by  this  species,  ami  it   is  introduced  heir  tor  the 

reason  that  it  attracted  the  writer's  attention  crawling  niton  the  walls 
of  an  earth  closet,  in  (ironic  County,  N.  ST.,  where  on  one  occasion  it 
bit  him  between  the  fingers,  The  pain  was  sharp,  like  the  prick  of  a 
pin,  but  only  a  faint  swelling  followed  and  no  further  inconvenience. 
The  insect  is  mentioned,  however,  for  the  reason  that  occurring  in  such 
situations  it  is  one  of  the  forms  which  are  liable  to  carry  pathogenetic 
bacteria. 

There  remain  for  consideration  the  South- 
ern and  Western  forms,  Basahus  thoradcus 
and  R,  biguttatus,  and  Conorhinus  sangu- 
isuga. 

The  two  spotted  corsair,  as  Easahus  bi- 
guttatus  (fig.  21)  is  popularly  termed,  is 
said  by  Riley  to  be  found  frequently  in 
houses  in  the  Southern  States  and  to  prey 
upon  bedbugs.  Lintner,  referring  to  the 
fact  that  it  preys  upon  bedbugs,  says:  "It 
evidently  delights  in  human  blood,  but 
prefers  taking  it  at  second  hand."  Dr.  A. 
Davidson,  formerly  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in 
an  important  paper  entitled  "So-called 
Spider  Bites  and  their  Treatment,*'  pub- 
lished in  the  Therapeutic  Gazette  of 
February  15,  1897.  arrives  at  the  conclusion  that  almost  all  of  the 
so-called  spider  bites  met  with  in  southern  California  are  produced  by' 
no  spider  at  all,  but  by  Basahus  biyuttatus.  The  symptoms  which  he 
describes  are  as  follows:  "Next  day  the  injured  part  shows  a  local 
cellulitis  with  a  central  dark  spot:  around  this  spot  there  frequently 
appears  a  bulbous  vesicle  about  the  size  of  a  10-cent  piece  and  tilled 
with  a  dark  grumous  fluid;  a  small  ulcer  forms  underneath  the  vesicle, 
the  necrotic  area  being  generally  limited  to  the  central  part,  while  the 
surrounding  tissues  are  more  or  less  swollen  and  somewhat  painful. 
In  a  few  days  with  rest  and  proper  care  the  swelling  subsides,  and  in  a 
week  all  traces  of  the  cellulitis  are  usually  gone.  In  some  of  the  cases 
no  vesicle  forms  at  the  point  of  injury,  the  formation  probably  depend- 
ing on  the  constitutional  vitality  of  the  individual  or  the  amount  of 
poison  introduced.1'  The  explanation  of  the  severity  of  the  wound 
suggested  by  Dr.  Davidson,  in  which  the  writer  fully  concurs,  is  not 
that  the  insect  introduces  any  specific  poison  of  its  own,  but  that  the 


Fig.  ■l\.—liasalius  biguttatus: 
once  enlarged  (original). 


adult, 


28 


poison  introduced  is  probably  accidental,  and  contains  tiie  ordinary- 
putrefactive  germs  which  may  adhere  to  its  proboscis.  Dr.  Davidson's 
treatment  was  corrosive  sublimate — 1  to  500  or  1  to  1,000  locally  applied 
to  the  wound,  keeping  the  necrotic  part  bathed  in  the  solution.  The 
results  have  in  all  cases  been  favorable.  Uhler  gives  the  distribution 
of  /.'.  biguttatus  as  Arizona,  Texas,  Panama,  Para,  Cuba,  Louisiana, 
West  Virginia,  and  California.  After  a  careful  study  of  the  material 
in  the  United  States  National  Museum,  Mr.  Heidemann  has  decided 
that  the  specimens  of  liasahus  from  the  southeastern  part  of  the  coun- 
try ; ire  in  reality  Say's  B.  biguttatus,  while  those  from  the  Southwestern 
States  belong  to  a  distinct  species  answering  more  fully  (with  slight 
exceptions)  to  the  description  of  Star's  Rasahus  thoracicm.  The  writer 
has  recently  received  a  large  series  of  it*,  thoraeicus  from  Mr.  H.  Brown,  of 

Tucson,  Ariz.,  and 
had  a  disagreeable 
experience  with  the 
sam  e  species  in  April, 
1898,  at  San  Jose 
de  Guaymas,  in  the 
State  of  So  nor  a, 
Mexico. 

Perhaps  the  best 
known  of  all  the 
species  mentioned  in 
our  list  is  the  blood- 
sucking cone-nose 
( Conorkinus  sang ui- 
suga)  (figs.  22  and 
23).  This  ferocious 
insect  belongs  to  a 
genus  which  has  sev- 
eral representatives 
in  the  United  States, 
all,  however,  con- 
fined to  the  South 
or  West.  C.  rubro- 
fasciatm  and  C.  variegatus,  as  well  as  C.  sanguisuga,  are  given 
the  general  geographical  distribution  of  "Southern  States."  C.  dimi- 
diatus  and  C.  macuUpennis  are  Mexican  forms,  while  C.  gerstoeckeri 
occurs  in  the  Western  States.  The  more  recently  described  species, 
C.  protractus,  Uhl.,  has  been  taken  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Dragoon, 
Ariz.,  and  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  All  of  these  insects  are  bloodsuckers 
and  do  not  hesitate  to  attack  mammals.  LeConte,  in  his  original 
description  of  C.  sanguisuga  (Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phil.,  Yol.  VII,  p. 
404,  1854-55),  adds  a  most  significant  paragraph,  which,  as  it  has  not 
been  quoted  of  late,  will  be  especially  appropriate  here:  "This  insect, 
equally  with  the  former  (see  above),  indicts  a  most  painful  wound.     It 


Fig.  22.— C-  norhinus  sangvisviia 
papal  stage;  c,  adult  bug;  d,  a: 
same  scale  (from  Marlatt). 


«,   first  pupal   stage;    //.    second 

ue,  lateral  view  — all  enlarged  to 


29 


is  remarkable  also  for  sacking  the  blood  <>!'  mammals,  particularly  of 
children,  l  have  known  its  bite  followed  by  \«m ,\  serious  consequences, 
the  patient  not  recovering  from  its  effects  for  nearly  a  year.  The  many 
relations  which  we  have  of  spider  bites  frequently  proving  fatal  bave 
do  doubt  arisen  from  the  stings  of  these  Insects  or  others  of  the  same 
genera.  When  the  disease  called  spider  bite  Is  aot  an  anthras  or  car- 
buncle, it  is  undoubtedly  occasioned  bj  the  bite  of  an  insect,  by  do 
means,  however,  of  a  spider.  Among  the  many  Bpecies  ofAraneidae 
which  we  have  in  the  CJnited  States,  1  have  never  seen  one  capable  of 
inflicting  the  slightest  wound,  [gnorant  persons  may  easily  mistake  a 
Cimex  for  a  spider.  I  have  known  a  physician  who  sent  to  me  the 
fragments  of  a  large  ant,  which  he  supposed  was  a  spider,  that  came 
out  of  his  grand- 
child's head."  The 
fact  that  LeOonte 
was  himself  a  physi- 
cian, having  gradu- 
ated from  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians 
and  S  n  r  geo  n  s  in 
1840,  thus  having 
been  nine  years  a 
doctor  of  medicine, 
renders  this  state- 
ment all  the  more 
significant.  The  life 
history  and  habits 
of  C.  sanguisuga 
have  been  so  well 
written  up  by  Mr. 
Marlatt,  in  Bulletin 
No.  4,  New  Series,  fig.  23 
of  this  Division,  that 
it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  enter  upon  them  here.  The  point  made  by  Marlatt  that  the 
constant  and  uniform  character  of  the  symptoms  in  nearly  all  cases  of 
bites  by  this  insect  indicate  that  there  is  a  specific  poison  connected 
with  the  bite  deserves  consideration,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  very  serious  results  which  sometimes  follow  the  bite  are  due  to  the 
introduction  of  extraneous  poison  germs.  The  late  Mr.  J.  B.  Lembert, 
of  Yosemite,  Cal.,  noticed  particularly  that  the  species  of  Conorhinns, 
occurring  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  is  attracted  by  carrion.  Professor 
Tourney,  of  Tucson,  Ariz.,  shows  how  a  woman  broke  out  all  over  the 
body  and  limbs  with  red  blotches  and  welts  from  a  single  sting  on  the 
shoulder.  Specimens  of  C.  sanguisuga  received  in  July,  1899,  from 
Mayersville,  Miss.,  were  accompanied  by  the  statement,  which  is  appro- 
priate in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  newspapers  have  insisted  that  the 


Conorhimts  sanguisuga:  a,  larva,  second  stage;  b.  newly 
hatched  Larva;  c,  egg  w  it li  sculpturing  of  surface  shown  at  side — all 
enlarged  to  same  scale  (from  Marlatt). 


30 


"kissing  bug"  prefers  the  lip,  that  a  friend  of  the  writer  was  bitten  on 
the  lip  and  that  the  effect  was  a  burning  pain,  intense  itching,  and  much 
swelling,  lasting  three  or  four  days.  The  writer  of  the  letter  had  been 
bitten  upon  the  [eg  and  arm,  and  his  brother  had  been  bitten  upon  both 

feet  and  legs  and  on  the  arm,  the  symptoms 
being  the  same  in  all  cases. 

More  need  hardly  be  said  specifically 
concerning  these  biting  bugs.  The  writer's 
conclusions  are  that  the  bite  of  any  one  of 
them  may  be,  and  frequently  has  been, 
mistaken  for  a  spider  bite,  and  that  nearly 
all  reported  spider-bite  cases  have  had  in 
reality  this  cause;  that  the  so-called  "kiss- 
ing-bug"  scare  has  been  based  upon  cer- 
tain undoubted  cases  of  the  bite  of  one  or 
the  other  of  them,  but  that  other  bites, 
including  mosquitoes,  with  hysterical  and 
nervous  symptoms  produced  by  the  news- 
head,  Bhowingbeak;  b,  same,  from  the  paper  accounts,  have  aided  in  the  general 

side,  with  piercing  seta?  removed  from 


FIG.    2±.—C'onorh!)>us    naiKjvitvga 


slieatl)  and  with  tip  of  one  of  them 


alarm. 


The  case  of  Miss  Larson,  who  died 

enlarged;  c,  same  from  below -much    m    AugUSt,  1898,   aS    the    result    of  a    1UOS- 
enlarged  (from  Marlatt).  ^^  ^  ^  MyStic>  Conn#?  ig  an  ilistauce 

which  goes  to  show  that  no  mysterious  new  insect  need  be  looked  for 
to  explain  occasional  remarkable  cases.  One  good  result  of  the  "kiss- 
in  g-bug"  excitement  may  be  in  the  end  to  relieve  spiders  from  much 
unnecessary  discredit. 


AN  INVESTIGATION  TO  DETERMINE  WHETHER  MELANOPLUS 
SPRETUS  BREEDS  PERMANENTLY  IN  THE  TURTLE  MOUNTAINS 
IN  NORTH  DAKOTA. 

By  W.  D.  Hunter,  Special  Temporary  Field  Agent. 


*       ITINERARY. 

I  left  Lincoln  August  9  aud  arrived  in  St.  Paul  the  next  day.  Here 
Dr.  Otto  Lugger,  of  the  Minnesota  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
who  shortly  before  this  time  had  returned  from  a  trip  to  Manitoba,  gave 
me  most  valuable  advice  and  information  concerning  the  country,  the 
people,  and  the  routes,  most  cheerfully  assisting  me  in  every  way.  The 
same  day  I  started  for  Winnipeg,  whence  the  Turtle  Mountain  region 
is  more  easily  accessible  than  from  the  North  Dakota  side,  and  arrived 
there  on  the  11th.  A  call  was  made  upon  the  chief  clerk  of  the  depart- 
ment of  agriculture  for  Manitoba,  Mr.  Hugh  McKellar,  who  accom- 
panied me  to  the  held  the  next  day.  Mr.  McKellar,  who  had  already 
been  over  the  ground  in  company  with  Dr.  Lugger  and  Dr.  Fletcher, 
spent  three  days  with  me,  and,  being  of  an  exceedingly  energetic  dis- 
position and  very  well  known  in  the  province,  his  assistance  removed 
all  the  obstacles  that  harass  a  newcomer  seeking  information,  and  is 
gratefully  acknowledged.     We  arrived  at  Boissevain,  a  village  about 


31 

9  miles  north  of  the  highest  point  of  the  Turtle  Mountains,  on  the  L21  h. 
and  made  a  preliminary  trip  into, the  country.  <>n  the  LStfa  \\<-  drove 
about  50  miles  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  visiting  as  man]  pla  cea 
as  possible  in  order  i<>  gain  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  ih<'  spread  of 
s/n-r/iis;  penetrated  quite  a  distance  Into  the  mountains  at  one  place, 
and  reached  Deloraine  in  the  evening.  On  the  L4th  we  thoroughly 
traversed  the  territory  between  Deloraine  and  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
and  on  tin*  L5th  I  started  alone  to  travel  across  and  explore  the  moun- 
tains. < me  day  was  spent  upon  the  mountains  proper,  and  the  next  day 
1  proceeded  to  Bottineau,  in  North  Dakota.  Prom  this  point  I  rode 
about  30  miles  westward,  in  search  <>t*  a  possible  breeding  ground  for 
sprctNs.  My  itinerary  then  took  me  along'  the  south  side  of  the  moun- 
tains, by  way  of  Dunseith,  Belcourt,  Kolla,  and  St.  Johns.  From  all  of 
these  points,  as  well  as  in  many  eases  between  them,  I  made  incursions 
as  far  into  the  mountains  as  the  trails  would  permit.  Return  was  made 
by  way  of  Wakepa  and  Boissevain  (where  the  20th  was  spent),  through 
Whitewater,  to  Deloraine.  On  the  22d  Napiuka  was  reached,  and  the 
2;>d  was  occupied  in  an  investigation  of  a  sand-hill  region  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Souris  liiver,  between  that  point  and  the  town  of  Souris. 
This  had  frequently  been  spoken  of  by  the  residents  as  a  probable 
breeding  ground  for  spretus.  After  one  stop  at  Stockton,  I  proceeded 
to  Winnipeg,  and  conferred  with  Mr.  McKellar  and  others  regarding  the 
situation,  and  then  took  train  for  Fargo.  From  this  point  a  side  trip  to 
Miles  City,  in  Montana,  was  taken,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  obtain  infor- 
mation regarding  the  place  where  a  swarm  of  locusts  which  had  been 
observed  in  Manitoba  had  alighted.  Upon  returning,  a  stop  was  made 
at  Fargo  and  a  day  was  occupied  in  conference  with  the  officers  of  the 
North  Dakota  Agricultural  College.  From  this  point  I  returned  by 
the  shortest  route,  through  St.  Paul  and  Omaha,  to  Lincoln,  arriving 
on  the  31st. 

OBJECT. 

For  a  long  time  it  has  been  supposed  by  those  who  have  been  interested 
that  the  Turtle  Mountains,  in  Manitoba  and  North  Dakota,  furnished 
a  permanent  breeding  ground  for  the  Rocky  Mountain  locust,  and  this 
has  taken  form  among  other  places  in  the  report  of  the  Canadian 
Dominion  entomologist,  Dr.  James  Fletcher,  for  1898,  where  it  is  stated: 
"  It  is  probable  that  this  locust  breeds  regularly  every  year  in  parts  of 
the  Turtle  Mountains."  It  has  been  noticed'  that  invariably  the  swarms 
that  in  recent  years  have  alighted  in  Minnesota  come  from  the  direc- 
tion of  these  mountain  s.  In  fact  the  county  in  Minnesota,  namely,  Otter- 
tail,  that  is  always  invaded  whenever  this  locust  reaches  that  State, 
and  which  has  figured  prominently  in  the  literature  of  this  subject  for  the 
last  decade,  is  the  nearest  agricultural  county  in  the  State  to  the  Turtle 
Mountains,  and  is,  moreover,  in  exactly  the  direction  from  them  that 
swarms  of  locusts,  originating  there,  would  naturally  take.  During  the 
past  two  years  there  has  been  a  visitation  ofspretus  in  the  region  directly 


32 

north  of  the  mountains,  as  well  as  in  a  similar  region  directly  to  the 
south  of  them.  Under  these  circumstances  it  will  be  seen  that  it  was 
very  natural  to  suppose  that  this  place  was  the  source  of  the  evil;  the 
evidence  most  certainly  pointed  in  that  direction. 

If  there  were  a  locality  in  North  Dakota  where  this  dangerous  locust 
was  breeding  every  year  there  would  be  continual  likelihood  that  swarms 
would  invade  that  State  as  well  as  Minnesota.  Therefore  the  object  of 
the  trip  was  to  ascertain  whether  the  suppositions  regarding  this  region 
were  correct,  and  in  case  they  were  found  to  be,  to  devise  means  of 
removing  the  evil. 

THE  NATURE  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

Turtle  Mountain,  as  this  region  is  called  by  residents,  is  a  broken 
plateau  of  roughly  elliptical  outline,  between  800  and  900  feet  above  theN 
level  of  the  surrounding  plains,  and  reaching  a  height  of  not  more  than 
2,500  feet  above  sea  level.  The  total  area  is  about  1,500  square  miles; 
the  international  boundary  line  passes  through  in  such  a  manner  that 
two-thirds  of  this  lies  within  North  Dakota,  in  the  counties  of  Bottineau 
and  Eolette.  The  surface  is  covered  with  a  dense  and  impenetrable 
growth  of  scrub  oak,  poplar,  balm  of  gilead,  choke  cherry,  dwarfed  elm, 
and  rose  and  raspberry  bushes,  intertwined  in  the  most  bewildering 
manner  with  vetch.  There  are  no  coniferous  trees.  The  vegetation  is  so 
dense  that  there  are  no  roads  that  penetrate  far  into  the  interior,  so  that 
the  inhabitants,  except  in  the  winter,  when  the  snow  makes  it  possible  to 
pass  over  the  top  of  the  tangle  to  reach  the  opposite  side,  pass  entirely 
around  it.  The  whole  region  is  dotted  with  hundreds  of  small  lakes 
and  ponds,  from  which  the  seepage  through  the  light?,  fertile  soil  makes 
an  almost  tropical  growth  possible.  The  only  open  places  are  glades, 
where  the  grasses  and  sedges  grow  up  in  luxuriant  abundance  to  a 
height  of  4  or  5  feet,  and  which  often  form  a  bed  of  standing  water. 
From  an  extended  and  careful  survey  of  the  whole  region  I  am  able  to 
state  that  there  are  absolutely  no  open  places,  even  measurably  free 
from  vegetation,  which  could  be  suitable  ior  the  hatching  of  spretus. 

From  time  to  time  forest  fires  have  swept  over  the  mountains.  In 
1802  the  whole  territory  was  burned  over,  and  the  smoke  was  so  great 
that  time  that  it  darkened  the  sky  at  Winnipeg,  over  200  miles  away. 
But  within  one  season  the  humus  formed,  which  is  too  light  to  be  used 
by  locusts  for  the  deposition  of  eggs,  gave  rise  to  a  dense  growth  of 
hawthorn  and  Solidago,  the  second  season  showing  numerous  shrubs 
and  small  trees  covering  the  ground. 

The  country  is  unsettled,  except  for  a  colony  of  French  half-breeds 
near  St.  Johns  and  a  small  summer  resort  at  Fish  Lake,  in  Bolette 
bounty.  Bat  wherever  the  farmers  have  taken  up  and  cleared  the 
"bush,"  as  the  English  people  there  call  it,  the  result  is  seen  in  yields 
of  wheat,  oats,  and  potatoes  that  are  marvelous.  The  only  trouble  h 
in  the  often  excessive  moisture  in  the  soil,  from  seepage  from  the  lakes 

To  gain  an  idea  of  the  Turtle  Mountains,  imagine  that  following  well 
known  laws  and  owing  to  its  considerable  elevation,  a  portion  of  th( 


S3 

northern  deciduous  forest,  which  normally  does  not  reach  south  of  the 

Assiiiihoinc  River,  in  an  isolated  case  crops  out  again.  Practically  all 
of  that  part  within  Manitoba  has  been  made  a  forest  reserve  by  the 
Dominion  government  We  will  thus  see  thai  a  place  thai  ie  virtually 
a  transposed  portion  of  the  country  north  of  the  limit  of  the  prairie 
region,  far  beyond  the  limit  of  spretus  and  totally  ansuited  for  the  eon 
tin  nation  of  that  Bpeoies,  has  been  suspected,  owingto  a  lack  of  definite 
knowledge,  of  furnishing  breeding  grounds,  it  is  the  one  pari  of  the 
country  in  which  it  may  be  positively  stated  that  spretus  does  not  breed. 

There  is  along  the  escarpment  of  the  Turtle  .Mountains,  extending 
from  about  the  point  where  the  international  line  crosses  the  western 
limit  of  the  hills  along  the  southern  slope  to  the  vicinity  of  St.  Johns, 
an  oftentimes  broken  and  narrow  outcropping  of  a  sandy  substratum. 
This  area  is  covered  with  a  very  sparse  growth  of  grass  and  was  often 
referred  to  by  the  residents  as  a  probable  breeding  ground  for  spretu*. 
In  fact,  I  was  informed  by  one  observer  that  be  had  seen  a  species, 
presumably  spretus,  breeding  there  for  years  before  the  cultivated 
lands  had  been  invaded.  After  determining  definitely  that  the  moun- 
tain proper  was  in  no  sense  the  sougut-for  breeding  ground,  some 
attention  was  devoted  to  this  formation.  Although  doubtless  more  or 
less  suited  for  the  deposition  of  eggs  by  locusts,  it  was  found  to  be  of 
very  limited  extent.  There  will  be  found  a  few  square  yards  upon  the 
brow  of  a  hill,  and  perhaps  no  more  will  be  found  exposed  for  several 
rods.  Below  this  the  alluvial  soil  of  the  low  land  along  the  southern 
slope  becomes  well  marked,  and  in  the  western  part  below  this  sandy 
formation  we  find  extensive  fields  of  gumbo.  Both  of  these  are,  of 
course,  quite  impossible  places  for  the  permanent  harboring  of  spret us. 
After  a  succession  of  favorable  seasons  the  locust  might  breed  in  this 
narrow  strip  in  numbers  to  invade  the  cultivated  parts  and  cause 
damage.  But  there  were  none  here  this  year;  the  swarms  doing  dam- 
age at  this  time  did  not  originate  there,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that- 
this  place  never  will  furnish  any  considerable  number  of  locusts. 

After  I  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
look  elsewhere  for  the  origin  of  the  swarms  that  from  time  to  time  have 
come  upon  North  Dakota  and  Minnesota  than  in  or  about  the  Turtle 
Mountains,  I  received  information  regarding  a  swarm  flying  high  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  17th  of  August  over  Whitewater  Lake  and  in  an 
almost  due  southeasterly  direction,  far  above  the  mountains,  into  North 
Dakota.  It  was  very  remarkable  that  all  the  sprctm  along  the  northern 
slope  on  the  mountains  had  joined  this  swarm  in  motion.  Where  a  week 
before  this  species  had  been  seen  everywhere  between  Boissevain  and 
Deloraine,  upon  my  return  none  were  to  be  found.  It  had  been  expected 
that  swarms  would  pass  over  that  region  at  about  that  time,  since  they 
have  always  appeared  by  the  15th  of  August  in  Minnesota.  On  that 
day,  for  the  first  time  in  a  fortnight,  the  wind  had  changed  from  a 
southerly  direction  and  blew  toward  a  point  south  of  southeast, 
11608— No.  22 3 


34 

I  have  been  at  considerable  pains  to  locate  this  swarm  in  order  to 
warn  those  concerned  of  its  presence.  The  day  that  it  was  observed  I 
made  use  of  the  telegraph  to  notify  the  authorities  in  Minnesota  and 
North  Dakota  of  what  might  be  expected.  However,  it  has  been 
impossible  at  the  present  time  to  obtain  trace  of  its  whereabouts. 
Owing  to  a  speedy  change  of  wind  at  sundown  on  the  day  of  the  flight, 
I  have  surmised  that  it  did  not  extend  far  into  North  Dakota,  and  judge 
that  a  point  somewhere  between  New  Rockford  and  Fargo  will  be  the 
center  of  some  destruction  next  year.  It  may  be,  however,  that  the 
Red  River  Valley  in  Minnesota  was  reached. 

While  hastening  to  reach  a  point  from  which  the  swarm  mentioned 
might  be  traced  in  North  Dakota,  I  continued  my  efforts  while  in  Mani- 
toba to  find  the  actual  breeding  ground  for  spretus.  It  should  be  men- 
tioned, however,  that  the  season  was  now  far  advanced  and  the  swarms 
had  left,  so  that  the  search  was  confronted  with  many  obstacles.  For 
the  purpose  of  working  out  this  point  a  trip  was  made  to  a  range  of 
sand-hills  and  barren  coulees  on  the  north  side  of  the  Souris  River, 
between  Napinka  aud  the  village  of  Souris.  This  was  in  exactly  the 
direction  that  the  swarm  had  taken.  I  found  here  a  sample  of  a 
peculiar  formation  that  appears,  as  I  am  informed,  at  places  through- 
out Manitoba  and  the  territory  of  Saskatchewan  and  toward  the  north- 
ern limit  of  the  prairies  especially.  There  is  exposed  a  ridge  of  red 
sand  which  is  of  such  fineness  and  lightness  that  it  is  continually 
blown  about  by  the  wind.  During  many  seasons  the  most  labyrinthine 
hollows  and  knolls  have  been  formed.  Here  aud  there  scrub  oak  and 
poplar  have  obtained  a  foothold,  and  a  few  specimens  of  Kuhnistera 
villosa  Nutt.  and  Solidago  missouriensis  Nutt.  are  seen  in  places  where 
an  outcropping  of  rock  makes  the  soil  slightly  more  firm.  But  I  am 
convinced  that  this  place,  to  which  all  persons  familiar  with  the  coun- 
try with  whom  I  consulted  regarding  suitable  grounds  for  the  habita- 
tion of  spretus  referred  me,  can  not  be  the  source  of  swarms.  The 
loose  and  drifting  soil  is  totally  unsuited  to  their  habits.  Moreover  I 
received  reliable  information  regarding  flights,  both  this  year  and  in 
several  preceding  years,  from  the  northwest  of  this  point. 

As  accurately  as  may  be  stated  from  the  data  in  hand,  spretus  origi- 
nates in  the  territory  lying  northeast  of  Regina,  toward  the  Big  Touch- 
wood Mountains  and  to  the  south  of  a  line  drawn  between  these  points. 
Here,  along  the  Assiniboine  River  and  its  tributaries,  is  a  region 
covered  with  sparsely  occurring  grasses  which  is  adapted  for  the 
species.  But  a  personal  visit  to  this  place  at  the  proper  time  of  the  year 
is  necessary  for  the  solution  of  the  question. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MELANOPLUS  SPRETUS  IN  NORTH  DAKOTA. 

The  three  years  preceding  (1899),  in  Manitoba  and  North  Dakota, 
were  unusually  dry,  and  a  climax  was  reached  in  1898.  June, 
which  is  usually  the  wet  month  in  that  part,  and  the  month  when 
the  locusts  hatch,  had  brought  but  little  moisture.     Accordingly,  the 


swarms  of  spr eius  which  bad  entered  in  the  fall  of  1897,  supposedly 
then  from  the  Turtle  .Mountain  region,  bad  prospered  well.    The  pres 

ent  >ear,  however,  tliere  was  an  unusually  hea\  \   precipitation  in  dune, 

but  thiseame  so  late  that,  although  it  did  not  affect  the  earlier-hatching 

sprctiis,  still  most  of  the  lute  batching  BpecieS  were  dest  roved.      It   was 

easily  noticed  that  tlie  ordinary  species  of  the  plains  were  remarkably 
scarce  and,  until  a  colony  of  sprc/us  or  the  form  of  atlanis  winch 
appears    there    was    reached,  grasshoppers  of  all    kinds    were   almost 

entirely  absent.     Melanoplus  sprctiis,    M.  hirittatns,  and    M.  packardi 

were   the    only   destructive   species    present    in    numbers    sufficient    to 

attract  attention. 

In  North  Dakota,  aa  was  predicted  last  year,  sprctiis  occurred  most 
notably  at  New  Rockford,  where,  approximately,  the  same  area  that 
Buffered  then  was  affected.  There  is  in  force  in  North  Dakota  an 
excellent  locust  law.  It  provides  that  upon  notification  by  the  county 
commissioners  any  farmer  upon  whose  place  grasshoppers  have  deposited 
eggs  shall  plow  all  summer-fallow  and  open  stubble  fields  within  a  cer- 
tain time.  If  this  is  not  done  the  plowing  takes  place  at  the  expense 
of  the  county  and  the  charges  are  assessed  against  the  property  as 
taxes.  Working  under  this  provision  most  of  the  young  locusts  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  Rockford  were  plowed  under,  as  many  as  twenty- 
seven  gang  plows  working  together,  and  working  on  Sunday  when  the 
need  was  urgent.  It  may  be  confidently  stated  that  the  trouble  at  that 
place  is  almost  passed. 

Along  the  southeastern  slopes  of  the  Turtle  Mountains,  however,  there 
is  a  fresh  invasion  of  considerably  smaller  extent  but  which,  consider- 
ing the  territory  affected,  is  rather  serious.  At  several  points  between 
Dunseith  and  Rolla  some  little  damage  was  done  by  spretus,  and  at  one 
point  about  2  miles  to  the  east  of  the  last  named  place  the  situation 
was  indeed  critical.  In  June  a  formidable  number  of  locusts  appeared 
from  eggs  deposited  in  the  fall  by  parents  that  had  passed  the  year  in 
that  same  place.  Several  acres  of  wheat  were  destroyed;  and  in  gen- 
eral this  swarm,  which  to  all  intents  was  simply  a  part  of  the  swarm 
that  was  divided  in  alighting  by  the  Turtle  Mountains  in  1897,  was  more 
destructive  than  in  Manitoba.  The  total  area  affected  might  be 
included  in  a  quadrangle  10  miles  long  and  5  wide  between  Dunseith 
and  Rolla;  but  within  this  area  only  isolated  fields,  often  at  consider- 
able distance  from  one  another,  were  infested.  The  most  damaged 
field  was  one  of  about  10  acres,  in  which  the  locusts  had  begun  to  feed 
only  after  the  heads  were  quite  well  formed.  These  were  quite  dry 
and  consequently  the  insects  fed  upon  the  green  part  of  the  stalk  just 
below,  causing  the  heads  to  fall  to  the  ground  and  the  field  was  ruined. 

Invariably,  when  looking  for  locusts  in  that  region,  I  would  ask  to 
be  shown  where  last  year  there  was  a  field  left  in  summer-fallow,  and 
very  uniformly  in  that  immediate  vicinity  the  insects  in  greatest  num- 
bers would  be  found.  By  plowing  or  thoroughly  cross-harrowing  these 
and  the  stubble  fields  in  September,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  pests, 


36 

even  if  they  should  recur  for  years,  as  they  are  not  likely  to  do,  could 
not  be  entirely  overcome.  The  county  commissioners  of  the  two  coun- 
ties affected  were  consulted.  They  understand  the  situation,  and  with 
the  aid  of  the  admirable  law  on  the  subject,  it  is  supposed  that  sys- 
tematic  warfare  will  be  waged  this  fall  and  the  locusts  exterminated. 

THE  NATIVE   SPECIES. 

Associated  with  spretus  in  this  region  there  was  an  unusually  large 
number  of  M.  atlanis  (principally  the  large,  very  dark-colored  form 
mentioned  by  Scudder  in  his  Melanopli,  p.  18  *,  from  the  Northwest  Ter- 
ritories) which  the  preceding  dry  seasons  had  caused  to  flourish.  In 
many  places  this  form,  which  seems  certainly  worthy  of  nominal  recog- 
nition, has  caused  as  much  damage  as  spretus  in  others.  M.  birittatus 
was  seen  everywhere  in  a  most  flourishing  condition,  and  was  by  all  odds 
the  most  common  locust  observed.  By  the  20th  of  August  the  females 
of  this  species  were  depositing  eggs,  often  for  this  purpose  boring 
down  in  the  hard  beaten  roadbed,  where  millions  were  destroyed  by 
the  passing  vehicles.  The  edges  of  grain  fields  and  land  under  sum- 
mer-fallow that  was  measurably  firm  from  rains  or  otherwise  were 
generally  selected.  At  one  place  about  10  miles  northwest  of  Bot- 
tineau and  near  the  Dominion  line,  M.  packardi  was  as  numerous  as 
the  other  species  were  anywhere,  and  demonstrated  that  it  should  be 
listed  among  the  locusts  capable  of  the  greatest  destruction.  This 
species  prefers  the  roadsides  for  the  deposition  of  eggs.  As  it  evinces 
an  inclination  to  abandon  wild  grasses  and  to  feed  upon  cultivated 
grains  it  should  be  watched,  for  the  rather  disastrous  results  that  have 
followed  a  similar  change  of  food  habit  by  Dissosteira  longipennis 
might  be  repeated.  It  seems,  however,  that  a  peculiar  succession  of 
favorable  seasons  has  brought  about  results  that  may  not  become  fixed 
nor  in  any  way  normal,  and  that  may  not  occur  again  for  many  years. 

In  general  it  may  be  stated  that  the  parasites  have  not  been  suffi- 
ciently numerous  in  the  Turtle  Mountain  region  to  affect  the  situation 
at  all.  Trombidium  locustarum  was  often  seen  and  was  generally  dis- 
tributed. As  a  test,  near  Dunseith  I  captured  25  individuals  of  spretus, 
and  of  these  18  had  mites  upon  them.  But  in  a  slightly  removed 
locality  only  2  or  3  out  of  the  same  number  were  found  parasitized. 
Some  parasitic  Diptera  were  seen,  but  the  number  was  not  large.  All 
in  all,  the  locusts  were  remarkably  healthy. 

SUMMARY. 

I.  Melanoplus  spretus  does  not  breed  permanently  in  the  Turtle  Mountains  nor  in 
that  immediate  vicinity.  The  ground  is  totally  unsuited  to  the  purpose,  and,  more- 
over, swarms  descending  upon  North  Dakota  and  Minnesota  have  been  traced  from 
far  to  the  northwest  of  that  place.  The  probable  permanent  breeding  ground  is 
upon  the  Assiniboine  River,  north  and  east  of  Regina  in  the  Territory  of  Assiniboia. 

II.  There  has  been  a  visitation  of  Metanoplus  spretus  in  North  Dakota,  besides  at 
New  Rockford,  near  Rolla.  The  county  authorities  will  probably  take  the  matter  in 
hand  and  reduce  the  danger  to  a  minimum. 


37 

III.  The  native  §p<  '  lanopliu  bitittatus,    '/.  aftoai    end  bf .  paektu 

attracted  attention  on  account  of  drj  yean      V.tttlanit  has  been  destructive  in 
reetrieted areas  all  through  the  Bed  River  Valley. 

iv.  An  outbreak  of  ipretut  Bimilar  to  thai  which  took  place  al  Rolls  s  ill  probably 
occur  next  season  al  Bome  point  between  i»<-sils  Lake  and  Kargo.  Thii  iwarm, 
however  may  h:i  n  »■  reached  Minm 

THE  BRONZE  APPLE-TREE  WEEVIL. 
tfagdalis  a  nesa  us  Leo.) 

By    F.    II.   ('ill  tTENDKN. 
REPORTED   INJURY   IN  WASHINGTON    STATE. 

January  14,  1899,  Mr.  S.  Kerr,  of  Sunny  dale,  Wash.,  wrote  this 
Division  that  in  the  fall  of  the  previous  year  his  atteutiou  had  been 
called  to  a  discoloration  which  appeared  in  spots  upon  apple  trees  in 
his  vicinity.  In  removing'  a  piece  of  bark  a  small  hole  was  disclosed, 
and  on  following*  this  up  a  specimen  of  a  borer  was  found.  Thirty- 
eight  such  larwc  were  taken  from  a  single  two-year-old  tree  at  that 
time  and  several  hundred  were  obtained  in  that  orchard.  On  further 
inquiry  it  was  ascertained  that  most  of  the  orchards  in  the  vicinity 
were  affected  similarly,  and  the  owners  were  quite  anxious  to  learn  of 
some  easier  way  to  rid  themselves  of  the  pest  than  by  cutting  them 
out.  Mr.  Kerr's  own  trees,  he  wrote,  were  entirely  free  from  attack,  a 
condition  which  he  attributed  chiefly  to  an  annual  wash  of  the  trunk 
and  larger  limbs  with  lye.  One  of  the  difficulties  in  combating  insect 
pests  of  this  sort  in  that  locality  consists  in  the  fact  that  about  one- 
half  of  the  territory  is  planted  in  orchards,  while  the  remaining  half 
is  covered  with  timber  and  brush,  the  wild  deciduous  trees  offering  the 
best  sort  of  shelter  for  pests  which  attack  also  orchard  trees. 

February  28  we  received  infested  twigs  from  which  we  later  suc- 
ceeded in  rearing  the  beetle,  which  is  now  identified  as  Magdalis 
aiiescens  Lee.  On  the  last-mentioned  date  our  correspondent  wrote 
that  the  tunnels  of  this  specie's,  which  are  illustrated  on  a  subsequent 
page  (tig.  26),  seem  to  start  in  the  majority  of  cases  from  the  butt  of  a 
tree  and  often  continue  up  5  feet  from  the  ground  •  that  while  some- 
times larva-  are  found  in  the  trunk  most  of  them  are  in  the  larger  limbs. 
Larvae  are  sometimes  found  singly,  and  often  from  two  to  six  occur 
together.  The  trees  that  have  thus  far  been  found  to  be  most  subject 
to  attack  are  Baldwin  and  Ben  Davis.  King  of  Tompkins,  Northern 
Spy,  and  Bellflower  occurring  in  the  same  orchard  appeared  to  be  free 
from  infestation. 

In  a  letter  dated  March  3  our  correspondent  stated  that  a  dead  tree 
which  had  recently  been  cut  down  was  so  full  of  borers  that  whenever 
the  wood  was  cut  into  borers  would  be  disclosed.  In  the  samples 
which  he  sent  at  that  time  this  was  found  to  be  the  case.  Every  por- 
tion of  the  twigs  showed  the  borers  or  their  galleries. 


38 

In  a  letter  dated  March  24  our  correspondent  wrote  that  he  had  since 
visited  several  other  orchards  and  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  the 
extent  of  the  damage  done  by  this  little  pest.  "There  is  hardly  an 
orchard  in  this  vicinity,'7  he  wrote,  "but  has  been  injured  more  or  less 
by  it.  Two-year-old  to  20-year-old  trees  appear  to  have  been  attacked 
indiscriminately,  and  in  many  cases  ruined.  If  anything,  the  borers 
seem  to  have  a  preference  for  the  north  side  of  the  trunk,  but  on  the 
limbs  they  occurr  everywhere.  It  puzzles  me  somewhat  that,  though 
I  can  hardly  ever  find  any  borers  in  the  trunks  and  very  seldom  even 
see  galleries  there,  I  invariably  see  the  dark  maroon  blotches  and  dead 
bark  under  these  discolorations."  There  seemed  to  be  a  rather  general 
impression  (which  appears  to  have  been  proven  to  be  a  true  one)  that 
the  diseased  condition  of  the  trees  was  due  to  "canker "or  "black 
spot." 

In  the  last  specimens  received  there  were  numerous  parasitic  insects 
present  in  the  galleries,  at  least  two  of  the  parasites  to  one  of  the 
borers.  Specimens  of  wood  kept  in  the  insectary  of  this  Department 
disclosed  the  beetleb  during  March,  but  other  specimens  received  later 
did  not  develop  during  that  month. 

Writing  April  17,  Mr.  Kerr  stated  that  the  local  fruit  inspector,  a 
Mr.  Brown,  had  informed  him  that  he  had  noticed  the  ravages  of  this 
insect  eight  years  before  the  present  time,  but  had  not  regarded  it  as 
a  dangerous  species,  being  much  surprised  to  learn  the  extent  of  recent 
injuries.  Mr.  Kerr's  observations  pointed  to  the  borer  as  commencing 
near  the  base  of  very  young  trees,  but  as  soon  as  these  grew  larger, 
ascending  into  the  limbs,  evidently  preferring  young  and  tender  wood. 

ATTACK   BELIEVED   TO   BE   SECONDARY   TO    THAT   OF   A   FUNOUS. 

April  27,  1899,  Prof.  0.  V.  Piper,  Pullman,  Wash.,  sent  a  specimen 
beetle  of  this  species,  from  Tracy  ton,  Kitsap  County,  with  the  informa- 
tion that  the  insect  was  reported  to  be  doing  serious  damage  to  the 
apple  industry  in  that  State,  many  complaints  relative  to  it  having 
been  received  during  the  year. 

Later,  however,  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  this  office  in  the  latter 
days  of  September,  the  same  gentleman  stated  that  he  had  given  the 
subject  of  the  attack  of  this  species  in  his  State  considerable  attention, 
and  his  first  suspicions  in  regard  to  the  injurious  character  of  the  insect 
had  been  much  allayed  by  the  discovery  that  insect  injury  was  appar- 
ently secondary  to  the  fungus  disease  known  as  "canker"  or  "black 
spot."  The  presence  of  this  fungus  causes  large,  more  or  less  oval 
blotches,  and  it  is  in  these  that  the  female  selects,  evidently  by  pref- 
erence, a  place  for  ovipositiou.  Examination  of  twigs  received  from 
Sunnydale  shows  on  these  cankerous  spots,  or,  in  some  cases,  at  the 
sides  of  them,  the  minute  punctures  made  by  the  proboscis  of  the 
female  while  depositing  her  eggs.  Oviposition  was  noticed  in  the 
orchard  much  later  than  in  our  rearing  jars,  continuing  well  on  during 
the  summer  season. 


39 


OOCl   BBENCE    IN    OREGON. 


On  the  occasion  of  a  visit  of  l>r.  A.  I).  Hopkins  to  tin-  Northwest, 
in  April.  L899,  adults  and    pup;i>  were  loiind  on    the  L'Stli   at   OoiTalHs, 

Oreg.,  in  the  barb  and  outer  wood  of  the  branches  <>f  dead  a j »i »1»*.  and 
Professor  A.  B.  Oordley,  of  the  state  Experiment  station  located  in 

that  town,  stated    thai   it  was  of  common  occurrence   in  such  locations. 
IN.TIKY    IN    BBITISH    OOLUMIJIA. 

There  is  one  record  of  injury  by  this  insect,  by  Dr.  James  Fletcher, 
published  in  the  Report  of  the  Entomologist  and  Botanist  for  L898 
(1899),  page  207.  He  mentions  receipt  of  specimens  of  apple  boughs 
containing  the  larva'  of  this  insect  from  Victoria  and  Nanaimo,  British 
Columbia, with  report  from  Mr.  R.  M.  Palmer,  of  the  former  locality,  that 
these  bark-boring  larvae  did  much  harm,  especially  in  young  orchards 
on  dry  lands  of  the  island.  Many  young  trees  were  described  as  being 
killed  outright  or  so  badly  injured  that  they  would  scarcely  recover 
where  preventive  measures  were  neglected.  Attack  was  also  men- 
tioned, on  the  authority  of  the  Kev.  G.  W.  Taylor,  on  Gabriola  Island, 
by  the  beetles  feeding  upon  the  leaves  of  cherry.  This  was  noticed 
during  two  seasons,  and  hence  may  be  considered  a  regular  habit  of 
the  beetles.    Dr.  Fletcher's  name  of  bronze  apple-tree  weevil  is  adopted. 

DESCRIPTION   OF    THE    SPECIES. 

The  adult  of  this  borer  may  be  recognized  by  the  accompanying 
illustration  (tig.  25a).  It  is  rather  remarkable  in  the  structure  of  the 
prothorax,  the  posterior 
angles  of  which  are  promi- 
nent and  produced  over  the 
base  of  the  elytra,  a  char- 
acter which  it  shares  with 
other  species  of  the  genus. 
The  beak  is  of  about  the 
same  length  as  the  protho- 
rax and  the  femora  are 
acutely  dentate.  The  color 
alone,  black  bronzed,  will 
distinguish  the  species  from 
others  of  the  genus. 

LeConte's  description 
appeared  in  187G  and  was  based  upon  material  from  Oregon  (Proc.  Am. 
Phil.  Soc,  Yol.  XV,  p.  192).     It  is  quoted  herewith : 

Elongate,  black  bronzed,  slightly  pubescent;  head,  beak  and  prothorax  densely 
finely  punctured,  the  last  longer  than  wide,  rounded  on  the  sides,  which  are  serrate 
in  front;  hind  angles  small,  prominent,  base  bisinuate,  disk  subcarinate  in  front  of 
the  middle.  Elytra  obliquely  impressed  behind  the  base,  and  also  behind  the  mid- 
dle; stria>  composed  of  not  very  large  punctures,  interspaces  finely  rugose.  Meso- 
sternum  not  protuberant;  thighs  acutely  toothed,  claws  distinctly  toothed  near  the 
base. 


Fig.  25.— Magdalis  cenescens:  a,  adult  weevil  dotted  portion 
of  size  line  showing  length  of  snout;  b,  larva;  c,  pupa— six 
times  natural  size  (original.) 


40 

The  length  exclusive  of  the  beak  varies  from  a  little  less  to  a  full 
sixtli  of  an  inch  (3  to  4mm);   the  width  is  less  than  half  the  length. 

The  species  is  limited  in  its  distribution  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  it 
apparently  occurs  throughout  the  States  of  Oregon  and  Washington, 
where,  according  to  Professor  Piper,  it  is  very  abundant  west  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains.  The  full  list  of  known  localities  include:  Sunnydale, 
Puyallup,  Tracy  ton,  Vancouver,  Sedro,  and  Woolley,  Wash.;  Salem, 
Hood  River,  and  Corvallis,  Oreg.;  Victoria,  Nanaimo,  and  Gabriola 
Islands,  British  Columbia. 


LIFE   HISTORY. 

From  the  excellent  lot  of  material  received  from  Mr.  Kerr  a  fair 

idea  of  the  insect's  life  stages  may  be 
had. 

The  larva,  illustrated  at  b  of  figure 
25,  departs  from  the  usual  curcu- 
lionid  type  in  being  rather  larger  in 
the  prothoracic  portion,  in  which  re- 
spect it  suggests  the  Bostrychinoe.  It 
is,  however,  legless  and  less  hairy  than 
in  that  group.  It  is  perfectly  white 
in  color  and  the  surface  of  the  body  is 
rather  strongly  wrinkled.  The  mouth- 
parts  are  small  and  dark  brown  at 
their  sutures  and  tips  only,  the  remain- 
der of  the  head  being  nearly  the  same 
color  as  the  body.  The  length  in 
curved  position  as  figured  is  4lum  and 
the  greatest  width  nearly  2mm. 

The  pupa,  figured  at  c,  shows  much 

of  the  appearance  of  the  future  beetle. 

The  head  and   snout   are  bent  down 

upon  the  abdomen  between  the  legs 

and  the  tips  of  the  thorax  or  humeri 

show  the  serrated  points  seen  in  the 

beetle.     It  is  of  the  same  white  color 

as  the  larva  and  its  length  is  a  little 

less  than  that  of  the  beetle. 

A  wild  food  plant  of  this  weevil  was  observed  by  Mr.  Schwarz  on 

the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Oregon  in  May,  1892.     It  is  a  species  of 

thorn,  presumably  a  Crataegus,  upon  which  the  beetles  were  found  in 

the  vicinity  of  Hood  River. 

Judgiug  from  the  condition  of  the  insect  at  the  time  of  the  receipt  of 
sendings  it  makes  its  first  appearance  in  a  latitude  like  that  of  Sunny- 
dale  in  the  early  part  of  April  and  continues,  according  to  Professor 
Piper,  till  at  least  the  middle  of  August. 

Soon  after  the  appearance  of  the  insects  in  April  they  copulate  and 
lay  eggs  for  the  next  generation,  as  previously  described. 


Fig.  26.— Work  of  Magdalis  oenescens :  a, 
pupa  in  its  cell;  b,  exterior  of  pupal  cell; 
c,  empty  cell;  d,  parasitic  pupa  in  its  cell; 
e.  two  empty  cells  of  parasite;  /,  beetle 
and  holes  made  by  beetles  in  their  escape- 
all  natural  size  (original). 


II 

The  tunnels  made  by  the  larva?  utter  h  itching  ma\  branch  <>n  io  any 
directioD  ap  <>r  down  a  limb  or  at  right  angles  to  it^  main  axis.  The} 
are  nol  always  so  easily  traceable  as  in  the  piece  of  apple  twig  illus- 
trated, being  sometimes  very  irregular  in  shape,  running  in  all  direc 
tions,  crossing  and  reerossing  in  hopeless  confusion.  The  average 
length  of  the  burrows  is  a  mat  km-  of  only  1  or  2  inches,  the  largest  seen 
measuring  only  2j  inches  I7";i).  At  their  beginning  they  measure 
about  half  a  millimeter  in  width,  and  at  their  end  where  the  pupal  cell 

is  formed  l.V1""  to  a  little  more  than  2""".    The  length  of  the  pupal  cells 

is  5  or  6mm.    They  are  rather  regular  oblong  oval  in  shape    see  fig. 

I'll,  a  and  c.) 

The  larva  completes  its  growth  toward  the  end  of  the  warm  season 
and  with  little  doubt  hibernates  in  this  stage,  undergoing  transforma- 
tion to  pupa  and  thence  to  imago  in  March  ami  April  respectively.  The 
beetle  makes  its  escape  through  a  round  hole  which  it  cuts  out  through 
the  bark  by  means  of  the  mandibles  at  the  end  of  its  rostrum  or  pro- 
boscis. The  diameter  of  these  holes  is  from  1  to  a  little  more  than  lmm. 
These  holes  are  figured  natural  size  (tig.  26,/). 

The  native  species  of  true  weevils  (Rhynchophora  exclusive  of  Scoly- 
tidae)  produce  as  a  rule  a  siugle  generation  annually,  and  the  present 
species  is  probably  no  exception. 

Professor  Piper  has  kindly  furnished  for  publication  in  this  connec- 
tion his  notes  bearing  upon  the  biology  of  the  species,  which  supplement 
our  own  and  render  the  account  more  complete.  These  notes  include  a 
brief  description  of  the  egg.  an  account  of  oviposition,  the  supposed 
correlation  of  fungous  disease  and  insect  attack,  feeding  habits  of  the 
beetles,  and  observations  which  show  quite  conclusively  that  the  spe- 
cies is  single  brooded : 

HIOLOGIC   NOTES,    BY   C.    V.    PIPER. 

The  egg. — Length,  ±mw ;  ■width,  ^-'?m  ;  ovoid,  yellowish-white,  smooth,  shining. 

Ovipositing  habits, — The  eggs  are  laid  singly  in  horizontal  holes  burrowed  in  the 
bark  to  the  depth  of  about  lmm.  Usually  from  12  to  25  of  these  holes  are  made  in  a 
more  or  less  circular  area  6-10m::!  in  diameter;  but,  in  some  cases  at  any  rate,  eggs  are 
not  laid  in  all  of  them.  The  beetle  usually  requires  half  an  hour  or  longer  to  burrow 
each  hole  and  two  minutes  in  which  to  deposit  the  egg.  In  one  case  which  was 
watched  the  beetle  burrowed  first  for  twenty  minutes,  then  turning  around  as  if 
on  a  pivot  she  tested  the  hole  with  her  ovipositor.  Apparently  it  proved  too  shallow 
and  she  turned  sharply  about  and  burrowed  for  twenty-one  minutes  longer.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  she  turned  about  as  before  and  immediately  deposited  an  egg  at 
the  mouth  of  the  hole.  Again  turning  she  pushed  the  egg  in  with  her  beak,  and 
then  rlew  away. 

In  another  instance  the  beetle  burrowed  for  thirty  minutes  and  then  laid  her  egg 
in  the  burrow  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  above  described. 

Apparently  the  different  egg  cavities  in  each  group  are  burrowed  at  different 
times;  at  least  in  all  the  cases  observed  the  beetle  went  away  after  digging  one 
cavity  and  laying  her  egg  therein. 

Mr.  D.  A.  Brodie  reports  that  he  several  times  saw  the  beetles  burrow  holes  and  fly 
away  without  depositing  eggs  therein.     These  observations,  taken  in  connection  with 


42 

the  fact  that  commonly  only  one  beetle  emerges  from  each  cluster  of  egg  cavities,  as 
proven  by  the  single  exit  hole,  indicates  either  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  eggs  or 
Larvae  are  destroyed  or  else  that  but  few  eggs  are  laid.  Probably  both  explanations 
are  true  in  part. 

In  nearly  all  cases  these  egg  cavities  are  burrowed  in  or  immediately  adjoining 
bark  attacked  by  the  "black  spot"  or  canker,  a  fungous  disease  caused  by  Macro- 
phoma  mali  Peck.  In  only  a  few  instances  did  we  observe  egg  burrows  in  healthy 
bark,  and  in  these  cases  the  trees  were  much  weakened  by  the  attacks  of  the  fungus. 
We  were  quite  unable  after  a  careful  search  to  find  any  trees  unaffected  by  the 
canker  that  were  attacked  by  the  weevil,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  dam- 
age caused  by  the  weevil  is  very  insignificant  compared  to  that  caused  by  the 
fungns.  As  the  tissue  invaded  by  the  fungus  always  dies  within  a  year,  it  follows 
that  the  weevil  does  no  damage  in  such  spots;  and  as  it  attacks  healthy  bark  so 
seldom  it  certainly  does  but  little  injury.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  if  the  canker 
is  held  in  check  the  beetles  may  attack  healthy  bark  more  frequently. 

Feeding  habits  of  the  adult. — Our  earliest  record  of  the  appearance  of  the  adult  is 
April  15.  From  this  time  on,  as  late  at  least  as  the  middle  of  August,  the  beetles  are 
abundant.  Shortly  after  their  first  appearance  they  may  be  found  laying  eggs,  and 
as  new  adults  are  constantly  emerging,  this  goes  on  through  the  whole  season.  The 
adults  are  found  only  occasionally  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees,  usually  where  they 
are  ovipositing  or  have  just  emerged.  On  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  however,  they  are 
abundant,  and  are  frequently  found  in  coitu.  They  feed  only  on  the  pulp  of  the  leaf, 
biting  out  shallow  holes  usually  to  the  lower  epidermis  of  the  leaf  but  sometimes 
quite  through.  Where  very  abundant  many  of  the  leaves  come  to  be  quite  riddled 
from  their  attacks,  though  ordinarily  this  injury  is  of  slight  consequence.  The 
beetles  are  not  very  quick  nor  easily  alarmed,  so  that  their  actions  may  be  watched 
indefinitely,  even  with  the  use  of  a  lens. 

The  species  evidently  single  brooded. — From  the  egg  to  the  adult  occupies  apparently 
one  year.  This  would  seem  clearly  to  be  the  case  from. the  relations  of  the  insect 
and  the  canker  disease.  The  canker  spots  begin  in  the  fall  and  reach  their  limit  of 
growth,  which  is  sharply  marked,  either  before  or  early  in  the  next  spring.  In  this 
diseased  tissue  the  eggs  of  the  weevil  are  laid  during  the  summer.  By  the  follow- 
ing summer  the  cankered  bark  is  dead  and  nearly  dry,  and  covered  with  the  black 
spore- containing  pustules.  It  is  always  from  bark  of  this  kind  that  the  adult 
beetles  emerge.  We  have  never  found  them  in  older  dead  and  diseased  bark,  which 
indeed  separates  from  the  wood  at  this  time,  and  only  rarely  does  the  larva  burrow 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  diseased  tissue.  It  necessarily  follows  that  the  larval  and 
pupal  stages  do  not  occupy  more  than  one  year,  and  from  the  same  facts  they  can 
require  little  less  time  than  that  period. 

FURTHER  INVESTIGATION  DESIRABLE. 

The  desirability  of  additional  observations  and  investigations  becomes 
obvious  to  anyone  who  has  perused  the  preceding  paragraphs.  It  seems 
not  impossible,  in  the  absence  of  positive  proof  to  the  contrary,  that 
certain  canker-like  spots  or  blotches  on  apple  trees  may  in  reality  be 
caused  primarily  by  the  attack  of  the  borer  and  that  parasitic  fungous 
attack  is  secondary.  Professor  Piper,  however,  writes  that  canker 
spots  are  common  without  the  presence  of  larvae  and  that  young 
canker  spots  seldom  show  any  egg  punctures. 

It  is  also  possible,  and  even  probable,  that  more  than  one  fungus  is 
present  in  limbs  affected  by  the  weevil,  and  further  study  will  be  neces- 
sary to  establish  the  economic  status  of  all  the  factors  that  contribute 
to  the  premature  demise  of  the  trees  in  the  affected  region. 


■i:s 

a  point  that  lends  color  to  the  hypothesis  thai  the  beetle  It  capable 
of  being  a  primary  enemj  is  that  congeneric  Bpeoies  are  known  to 
attack  healthy  tires,  and  hitherto,  bo  far  as  the  writer  can  learn,  no 
fungous  disease  has  ever  been  associated  with  any  of  them,  the  same 
being  true  of  other  species  of  beetles  related  zoologically  <>r  of  similar 

habits.      The   beetles   were   found    to  continue   living   in   dead    and   dry 

limbs  nearly  or  quite  ;i  year  old,  and  t  be  presence  of  a  fungous  dig 

eon  Id  not  be  detected  in  them  w  hen  examined  in  the  Division  of  \ 

table  Physiology  and  Pathology.    There  were  also  on  the  limbs  exam 

ined  numerous  holes  bom  which   the  insects  had  issued    and  where  the 

fungus  had  not  been  present.    The  cankerous  spots  were  almost  inva- 
riably attacked  by  the  weevils,  and  we  have  the  testimony  of  Professor 
Piper  that  the  k>  black  spot'7 '  was  actually  detected  in  these  place-. 
It  is  hoped  that  another  season  may  see  these  points  made  clear. 

PARASITIC   ENEMIES. 

From  the  material  in  which  the  parasites  were  first  detected  thirty 
specimens  of  Chalcidids  and  one  beetle  were  reared  during  the  week 
ended  April  12.  Of  this  lot  17  were  true  parasites  and  13  were  hyper- 
parasitic.  The  primary  parasite  of  this  lot  was  identified  by  Mr.  Ash- 
mead  as  au  undescribed  species  of  Dinotus,  and  of  a  subsequent 
rearing  as  Chiropachys  colon  Linn.,  a  well-known  parasite  and  efficient 
destroyer  of  the  fruit  tree  bark-beetle  (Scolytus  rugulosus).  The  sec- 
ondary parasite  is  Asecodes  aUntarsis  Ashm. 

METHODS   OF    CONTROL. 

This  apple-tree  borer  may  prove  a  difficult  insect  to  successfully 
combat  unless  future  observation  should  show  that  its  attack  is  mainly 
secondary  to  a*d  dependent  upon  that  of  the  fungus.  In  case  it  is 
shown  that  the  insect  is  not  dependent  upon  the  fungus  and  that  it 
attacks  vigorous,  healthy  growth,  insecticides  and  other  direct  reme- 
dies will  be  necessary. 

From  the  general  maimer  of  the  insect's  work,  it  should  prove  ame- 
nable to  the  same  treatment  as  that  outlined  for  the  fruit-tree  bark- 
beetle  in  Circular  No.  29  (2d  ser.,  pp.  7,  8)  of  this  Division.  Clean  cul- 
ture would,  of  course,  be  the  first  requisite.  The  use  of  mechanical 
barriers  and  deterrent  washes,  employment  of  girdled  trap-trees,  and 
the  use  of  kerosene  emulsion  or  creosote  oil  as  insecticides  are  among 
the  remedies  advised  against  the  bark-beetle. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Kerr  ascribed  the  immunity  of  his  trees 
from  attack  to  an  annual  wash  of  lye  applied  to  the  trunks  and  limbs. 
Mr.  Palmer  states  that  a  wash,  composed  of  lime,  soap,  and  carbolic  acid 
is  effective  if  applied  early  in  spring  (in  British  Columbia)  and  renewed 
at  the  end  of  May. 


1  As  this  bulletin  is  going  to  press  Professor  Piper  writes  that  the  fungus  in  ques- 
tion is  Macrophoma  curvispora,  recently  described  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Peck,  from  British 
Columbia  (Bui.  Torrey  Bot.  Club,  Jan.,  1900,  p.  21). 


44 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  beetles  could  readily  be  reached  by 
spraying  the  leaves,  since  observation  has  shown  that  they  feed  on  the 
foliage  of  their  host  plants. 

Should  it  be  proven  that  the  fungus  is  the  primary  cause  of  injury, 
as  is  now  apparently  the  case,  all  efforts  should  be  directed  toward  the 
suppression  of  this  fungus;  but,  as  the  subject  of  fungous  diseases  and 
their  remedies  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  Division,  it  need 
not  be  discussed  here.  It  may  be  said,  in  any  case,  that  when  a  tree 
becomes  badly  infested  by  the  insect  it  should  be  cut  down  and 
destroyed  by  burning,  and.  this  should  be  done  before  the  month  of 
April  to  prevent  the  development  of  the  insect  and  its  issuance  from 
the  wood  for  the  infestation  of  other  trees. 

TWO  NEW  CECIDOMYIANS  DESTRUCTIVE  TO  BUDS  OF  ROSES. 
By  D.  W.  Coquillett. 

At  intervals  during  the  past  twelve  years  complaints  have  reached 
this  office  in  regard  to  certain  kinds  of  insects  which  infest  the  buds  of 
roses  grown  under  glass,  causing  them  finally  to  wither  and  turn  black. 
The  blossom  buds  as  well  as  those  for  the  production  of  wood  and  foli- 
age are  thus  attacked,  and  in  several  instances  during  an  entire  season 
not  a  single  flower  of  certain  varieties  was  produced  in  some  of  the 
rose  houses  owing  to  the  depredations  of  these  pests.  For  some  curi- 
ous reason  the  only  varieties  of  roses  known  to  be  subject  to  these 
attacks  are  the  Meteor,  Wooton,  La  France,  and  a  sport  of  the  latter 
known  as  the  Duchess  of  Albany.  Xo  other  variety  of  rose  has  been 
known  to  be  attacked,  although  frequently  grown  in  the  same  house 
side  by  side  with  plants  of  the  kinds  mentioned  which  had  in  some 
cases  lost  all  of  their  buds. 

The  pests  in  question  are  small  legless  larvae  which  are  to  be  found 
within  the  buds  at  the  bases  of  the  outer  scales,  or  sepals,  if  a  blossom 
bud  is  examined.  These  larvae  are  of  a  white  color  when  young,  but 
become  orange  red  in  the  latter  part  of  their  larval  periods.  Their 
manner  of  transformation  is  at  present  not  known  to  the  writer,  but  it 
is  probable  that  they  enter  the  earth  and  pass  through  their  various 
changes  in  a  cell  or  cavity  formed  just  beneath  the  surface.  So  far  as 
I  am  aware,  they  have  never  been  known  to  attack  roses  grown  in  the 
open  air,  and  this  would  seem  to  indicate  that  they  were  originally 
natives  of  some  tropical  region,  from  which  they  have  been  imported 
into  this  country  either  upon  plants,  cuttings,  or  in  the  soil  in  which 
the  plants  were  imported. 

The  earliest  record  of  the  occurrence  of  these  pests  in  this  country 
that  has  come  to  my  notice  is  a  letter  dated  September  29, 1886,  accom- 
panied by  specimens,  addressed  to  this  Department  by  Mr.  Ernst 
Asmus,  of  West  Hoboken,  ]ST.  J.  This  letter  has  already  been  pub- 
lished on  page  284  of  Insect  Life  for  March,  1889,  and  is  followed  by  a 


i 


i: 


second  letter  under  date  of  January  18,  L889,  In  which  Mr.  A.smoi 
records  the  discovery  of  this  pesl  in  two  other  florists'  establishments 
in  his  neighborhood. 

In  the  same  periodica]  for  March,  L891  p.  294  .  la  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Benjamin  Bammond,  Fishkill,  N.  ST.,  under  date  of  October  26,  L890, 
relating  to  the  same  or  a  similar  pest  which  has  destroyed  many  bads 
of  the  Wooton  rose  grown  under  glass  in  his  locality. 

More  recently  Mr.  1*.  II.  Dorsett,  of  this  Department,  lias  published 
a  short  notice  of  an  insect  having  t  be  same  habits,  recording  his  obser- 
vations of  its  attacks  on  the  Meteor  and  La  France  roses  grown  under 
glass  iii  the  vicinity  of  Washington,  I).  C. 

These  are  the  only  published  references  t<>  <  'ecidomyian  larvae  attack- 
ing buds  of  roses  in  this  country  that  have  come  under  my  notice,  but 
the  note-books  of  this  Division  indicate  that  they  have  been  received 
from  several  localities  besides  those  recorded  above. 

dune  2,  1801,  Mr.  A.  B.  Cordley,  at  that  time  in  the  employ  of  this 
Division,  detected  larva'  of  this  kind  in 
the  buds  of  rose  bushes  iu  a  florist's 
establishment  in  this  city;  they  were 
under  the  sepals  and  usually  occurred 
singly,  but  sometimes  in  clusters  of  five 
or  six  individuals.  More  of  these  larvse 
were  obtained  by  him  on  the  5th  of  the 
following  September,  and  from  these  the 
adult  flies  were  bred  on  the  15th  of  the 
same  month. 

April  30,  1894,  larva?   were  received 
from  Mr.  W.  J.  Stewart,  Boston,  Mass. 

On  October  22  of  the  same  year  Mr. 
Theodore  Pergande,  -of  /his  Division, 
investigated  an  outbreak  of  insects  of 
this  kind  in  one  of  the  rose  houses  in 
the  vicinity  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  reported  that  they  were  first 
noticed  by  the  owner  three  years  previously,  since  which  time  they 
had  steadily  increased  in  numbers.  They  confined  their  attacks  to 
the  La  France,  Meteor,  and  Wooton  roses,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  other  varieties  were  growing  among  them.  The  pests  were  the 
most  abundant  during  the  latter  half  of  the  year,  but  became  quite 
scarce  during  the  winter  season. 

October  15,  1897,  larva?  were  received  from  Mr.  Walter  C.  Wyman, 
Chicago,  111.,  who  stated  iu  an  accompanying  letter  that  they  infested 
the  buds  of  the  La  France  and  Meteor  roses  iu  a  rose  house  in  that  city, 
and  that  other  varieties  of  roses  were  untouched.  He  was  familiar 
with  the  operation  of  this  pest  for  the  previous  six  years. 

In  response  to  inquiry,  Mr.  L.  E.  Wood,  Fishkill,  X.  Y.,  wrote  that 
this  species,  which  was  reported,  as  already  stated,  by  Mr.  Benjamin 


Fig.  27. — Neocerata  rhodophaga:  adult 
much  enlarged,  antenna  more  enlarged 
at  left  (origiual). 


48 

Hammond  as  injurious  at  Fishkill  in  1890,  had  again  made  its  appear- 
ance in  the  summer  of  1898,  this  being  the  first  time  it  had  been  noticed 
since  the  appearance  above  recorded. 

In  the  autumn  of  1896  Mr.  Dorsett  collected  a  number  of  infested 
branches  of  roses  from  the  same  rose  house  as  that  in  which  Mr. 
Cordley  had  found  this  insect,  and  placed  them  in  a  jar  of  water  under 
a  bellglass  for  the  purpose  of  breeding  the  adult  flies,  12  of  which  were 
found  beneath  the  bellglass  November  4  of  the  same  year.  These  were 
placed  in  alcohol  and  recently  presented  to  this  Division.  A  compari- 
son of  these  specimens  with  those  reared  by  Mr.  Cordley  reveals  the 
fact  that  two  different  species,  even  belonging  to  different  genera,  are 
concerned  in  this  destructive  work.  The  single  male  and  female  speci- 
mens bred  by  Mr.  Cordley  belong  to  the  genus  Diplosis,  and  judging 
from  the  description  and  figure  of  Riibsaamen,  are  closely  related  to  his 
Diplosis  rosiperda  which  iu  Germany  has  similar  habits  ( Verhandlungen 
der  Kais.-Kon.  zool.-botan.  Gesell.  Wien,  1892,  p.  54,  PI.  II,  figs.  7  and  8). 
The  larvae  of  the  two  species,  however,  are  very  distinct;  ours  entirely 
lacks  the  so-called  u breastbone";  the  posterior  end  of  the  body  is 
rounded  and  bears  several  short  tubercles,  but  there  is  no  trace  of  a 
pair  of  very  long  ones  at  the  extreme  apex  of  the  body,  nor  of  a  pair 
of  very  lqng  bristles  anterior  to  them ;  moreover,  the  surface  of  the 
body  in  our  larva  is  comparatively  smooth,  even  under  a  very  high 
power,  not  showing  a  vestige  of  the  minute  tubercles  wherewith  the 
body  of  the  allied  species  is  densely  covered.  In  order  that  our  species 
may  be  recognized  in  the  future,  a  description  of  it  is  given  herewith : 

Diplosis  rosivora  new  species. 

Female. — Antennae  three-fourths  as  long  as  the  head  and  body  taken 
together,  subeylindrical,  fifteen  jointed  (2+13),  first  two  joints  slightly 
broader  than  the  others,  the  first  slightly  longer  than  wide,  the  second 
as  wide  as  long,  the  third  about  six  times  as  long  as  its  greatest  width, 
noticeably  longer  than  any  of  the  others,  tapering  at  the  base,  the  apex 
suddenly  narrowed  into  a  petiole  one-fifth  as  long  as  the  remainder  of 
the  joint;  other  joints  suddenly  narrowed  at  the  apex  into  a  petiole,  the 
thickened  portion  expanding  slightly  at  its  apex,  bearing  near  its  base 
a  whorl  of  bristly  hairs,  its  apical  half  sparsely  covered  with  similar 
hairs;  some  of  the  hairs  in  the  basal  whorl  are  slightly  longer  than  the 
entire  joint  from  which  they  spriug;  last  joint  almost  one-half  as  long 
as  the  thickened  portion  of  the  preceding  joint.  Wings  hyaline,  rather 
densely  covered  with  hairs,  first  vein  reaching  the  costa  slightly  before 
the  middle  of  the  latter;  third  vein  terminates  slightly  below  the 
extreme  wing-tip,  the  basal  portion  connecting  it  with  the  first  vein 
quite  indistinct;  fifth  vein  branching  slightly  beyond  the  middleof  the 
wing,  the  upper  branch  very  indistinct  toward  its  apex.  Colors  (in 
balsam),  head  black,  antennae  brown,  palpi  yellow,  thorax  dark  brown, 
two  subdorsal  vittaj,  the  metathorax  and  front  part  of  the  breast  yel- 
low, scutellum  and  abdomen  orange  yellow,  hal teres  yellow,  an  orang< 
yellow  spot  on  each  knob,  legs  yellow.     Length  1.75mm. 


17 

Male.  Both  antennae  in  the  onlj  specimen  are  broken  off  toward 
their  apices,  but  were  evidently  almost  twice  as  long  as  the  bead  and 
body  taken  together,  apparently  fifteen-jointed  (2H  L3)j  flrsl  joint 
slightly  longer  than  wide,  the  second  as  wide  as  long,  each  of  the  remain 
Ing  joints  suddenly  contracted  into  a  petiole  before  the  middle  and 
again  at  the  apex  of  each,  the  narrowed  portions  longer  than  the  thick- 
ened part  at  their  bases,  the  latter  at  the  base  of  each  joint   bears  ;i 

Whorl    of  bristly    hairs,  thai    near  the  middle  of  each  joint    bears  tWO 

whorls,  one  with  few  hairs  at  its  base,  the  other  with  many  more  bain 

at  its  apex:  the  last  joint  is  nearly  twice  as  long  as  those  near  the  mid- 
dle of  the  antenna,  and  the  second  thickened  portion  is  greatly  con- 
stricted at  the  middle,  four  times  as  Long  as  the  thickening  at  the  base 
of  the  joint,  terminating  in  a  slender  proeess  which  is  almost  one  half 
as  long  as  the  thickened  portion.  The  fifth  vein  at  the  point  where  it 
forks  is  nearer  to  the  hind  margin  of  the  wing  than  it  is  to  the  third 
vein,  and  the  latter  opposite  this  point  is  mueh  nearer  to  the  costa  than 
to  the  fifth  vein.  Third  tarsal  joint  slightly  longer  than  the  fourth  and 
fifth  taken  together.     Colors  as  in  the  female.     Length  1.5""". 

The  specimens  bred  by  Mr.  Dorsett  belong  to  a  new  genus,  differing 
from  all  others  by  the  much  smaller  numbers  of  antenna!  joints,  and 
both  the  genus  and  species  are  characterized  herewith. 

Neocerata  rhodophaga  new  genus  and  species. 

Antennre  in  both  sexes  slightly  shorter  than  the  head  and  thorax 
taken  together,  nine-jointed;  joint  1  obconical,  2  globular,  wider 
than  any  of  the  others;  joints  3  to  8  only  slightly  longer  than  wide, 
subsessile,  the  hairs  very  sparse,  not  arranged  in  whorls;  joint  9  almost 
twice  as  long  as  8,  slightly  constricted  near  the  middle.  Wings  hyaline, 
bare  except  along  the  hind  margin _ne^  the  base  and  on  the  veins, 
which  are  sparsely  bristly,  rather  densely  bristly  along  the  first  half  of 
the  costa,  interspersed  with  flattened  bristles;  the  first  vein  lies  very 
close  to  the  costa,  which  it  joins  slightly  before  the  middle  of  the  wing; 
third  vein  evenly  arcuate,  joining  the  costa  far  before  the  extreme 
apex  of  the  wing,  this  distance  almost  equaling  one-half  of  the  great- 
est width  of  the  wing,  the  extreme  base  of  this  vein,  where  it  joins  the 
first  vein,  very  indistinct;  fifth  vein  indistinct  toward  its  apex,  forked 
at  its  last  fourth,  the  anterior  fork  reaching  the  hind  margin  a  short 
distance  basally  of  the  tip  of  the  third  vein.  First  tarsal  joint  less 
than  one  half  as  long  as  the  second,  claws  of  tarsi  simple.  Color  of 
alcoholic  specimens  yellow,  the  head  and  thorax  tinged  with  brown. 
Length,  1  to  l^S""". 

Nine  males  and  three  females,  bred  November  4,  1890,  by  Mr.  P.  H. 
Dorsett. 

This  fly  is  shown  in  fig.  27  highly  magnified,  the  antenna  still  more 
enlarged  at  the  left.     The  hair  lines  below  show  the  actual  size  of  the 

fly- 

The  larva  of  this  species  is  at  present  unknown  to  the  writer. 


48 

Some  of  the  rose  growers  whom  I  have  visited  inform  me  that  they 
exterminated  these  pests  in  their  rose  houses  by  a  continued  and  lib- 
eral use  of  Persian  insect  powder,  and  Mr.  L.  E.  Wood  writes  that  he 
has  complete  success  in  the  use  of  California  buhach,  a  very  similar 
product,  which  has  been  recommended  by  this  Division  against  this 
pest  for  years  past.  One  grower  assures  me  that  he  accomplished  the 
same  thing  by  a  liberal  use  of  refuse  tobacco  stems  obtaiued  from  a 
cigar  factory.  These  stems  were  placed  beneath  the  benches  on  which 
the  infested  roses  were  growing,  and  some  were  also  placed  on  the 
healing  pipes.  The  stems  were  quite  moist  when  obtained,  and  the 
heat  of  the  rose  house  caused  a  constant  evaporation,  which  was  suf- 
ficiently deadly  in  its  effects  upon  these  fragile  insects  as  to  result  in 
their  death,  without  at  the  same  time  producing  a  perceptible  injury  to 
the  rose  bushes.  The  same  grower  also  informed  me  that  when  these 
pests  first  made  their  appearance  in  one  of  his  rose  houses  he  had  all 
of  the  rose  bushes  in  that  house  cut  off  close  to  the  ground,  only  to  find 
that  when  these  bushes  began  to  grow  the  pests  were  soon  apparently 
as  abundant  as  before. 

A  NEW  VIOLET  PEST. 

(Diplosis  violicola  n.  sp.) 
By  D.  W.  Coquillett. 

In  Europe,  two  different  species  of  Cecidomyia  attack  cultivated  and 
wild  violets — the  one,  Cecidomyia  violas  of  Franz  Low,  dwarfing  the 
entire  plant  and  causing  it  to  assume  the  form  of  a  rosette  through  the 
working  of  the  larvre  at  the  bases  of  the  short  sessile  leaves  j  the  second 
species,  the  Cecidomyia  affinis  of  Kieffer,  folds  and  distorts  the  young 
leaves  and  unopened  blossoms.  It  is  somewhat  curious  that,  although 
sweet  violets  have  been  somewhat  extensively  cultivated  in  this  country 
for  many  years  past,  yet  up  to  the  year  1896  no  complaint  had  been 
made  of  any  Gecidomyian  attacking  either  these  or  anj7  of  the  many 
wild  species  of  violets  which  occur  in  almost  every  locality  in  this 
country. 

On  October  5  of  the  above  mentioned  year  Mr.  P.  H.  Dorsett,  of  this 
Department,  brought  to  this  office  several  leaves  of  sweet  violets  from 
the  vicinity  of  Washington,  D.  0.,  each  of  which  was  folded  up  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  bring  the  upper  surfaces  together;  the  leaves  were  much 
wrinkled  and  distorted,  and  each  contained  from  one  to  three  whitish, 
or  more  or  less  yellow,  legless  larvne.  Thirty  one  adults  were  bred 
from  thesfe  on  the  23rd  and  24th  of  the  same  month.  Mr.  Dorsett  has 
published  a  brief  account  of  this  pest,  which  is  known  among  florists 
as  the  "gall  fly",  together  with  figures  of  the  distorted  leaves.  More 
recently  Dr.  Howard,  by  request  of  a  correspondent,  has  published  a 
brief  account  of  this  insect  in  a  current  publication. 

Plants  of  violets  infested  with  what  is  evidently  this  same  pest 
were  received  July  17,  1896,  from  Mr.  W.  A.  Hammond,  of  Eichmond, 


49 


Va,,  with  tbe  statement  that  these  insects  bad  been  quite  destructive 
to  his  violets  dnring  the  months  of  June  and  July  for  two  years  past. 
The  attack  waa  principally  directed  against  the  youngest  leaves,  which 
in  a  short  time  turned  browD  and  dropped  from  tin'  plant.  As  many 
as  a  dozen  larva?  \\  ere  somet  imes  found  w  ithiu  a  single  folded  leaf. 

September 9  and  _i,  1897,  larva-  of  this  species  were  also  received 
at  this  office  from  Mr.  W.  Davison,  of  Nyack,  N.  v.;  and  on  August 
31,  L898,  others  were  received  from  Mrs.  J,  II.  M arbacher,  Tappan, 
N.  f.  The  latter  stated  in  an  accompanying  letter  that  her  violet 
plants  were  literally  covered  with  these  larvie  in  the  folded  and  dis- 
torted leaves.  From  those  received,  .5  adults  issued  on  the  9th  ot  tiie 
following  months 


Fig.  2$.—Diplotiis  violicola :  a,  female  fly;   b,  female  antennal  joints;   c,  male  genitalia;  d,  larva; 
e,  breastbone  of  larva— a,  L,  much  enlarged;  c,  d,  e,  more  enlarged  (original). 

Under  date  of  October  12,  1898,  Mrs.  J.  Sampson,  Gordonsville,  Ya., 
wrote  that  a  "  gall  fly,"  presumably  this  species,  bad  been  injurious  to 
violets  grown  in  beds  during  the  early  spring  of  that  year,  but  all  the 
infested  leaves  had  been  picked  off  and  destroyed  and  no  specimens 
were  available  at  the  date  of  writing. 

Writing  under  date  of  January  27,  1899,  Mr.  W.  V.  Y.  Powers, 
Cornwall-on-Hudson,  N.  Y.,  stated  that  he  had  noticed  this  species 
about  three  years  previously,  and  had  been  troubled  with  it  more  or 
less  ever  since.  He  was  not  certain  that  there  was  any  connection 
between  the  appearance  of  this  pest  and  the  introduction  of  the  so- 
called  California  violet,  but  stated  that  they  both  appeared  the  same 
year  in  his  vicinity. 

11608— No.  22 1 


50 

In  a  letter  published  December  3, 1898,  Mr.  Davison,  mentioned  above 
as  having  sent  specimens  of  this  insect  to  us  for  identification,  states 
that  his  experience  with  this  maggot  convinces  him  that  it  is  the  worst 
enemy  the  violet  grower  has  to  contend  with,  owing  to  the  extreme 
difficulty  experienced  in  its  destruction  without  injury  to  the  plant. 
He  says: 

It  secretes  itself  in  the  crown  of  the  plant;  the  leaves  as  they  come  up  are  tightly 
curled,  and  when  unfolded  there  will  he  found  6  to  8  small  white  maggots.  On 
some  plants  you  can  pick  off  the  youug  leaves  until  the  crown  is  bare.  Loosing  the 
crown  will  cause  the  side  crowns  and  runners  to  start;  the  latter  must  he  taken  off. 
The  maggot  seldom  appears  on  the  side  crowns,  giving  them  a  chance  to  make  good 
plants.     The  flowers  will  not  he  as  large  as  crown  flowers. 

1  find  when  the  maggot  leaves  the  plant  it  goes  into  the  ground.  As  proof  of  this, 
I  placed  40  or  50  of  the  leaves  containing  maggots  on  a  pot  tilled  with  soil,  covering 
the  soil  with  glass,  expecting  in  this  way  to  see  the  maggot  in  the  chrysalis  state. 
At  the  end  of  two  weeks,  wanting  to  send  some  specimens  to  the  Division  of  Ento- 
mology at  Washington,  I  removed  the  glass,  but  the  maggots  were  gone.  I  turned 
the  soil  out  of  the  pot  and  found  maggots  all  through  the  soil  in  the  same  state  in 
which  they  left  the  leaves. 

He  also  expressed  the  belief  that  the  fly  was  introduced  with  manure 
purchased  from  a  person  who  collected  garbage,  as  no  flies  were  seen 
in  his  greenhouse  previous  to  the  introduction  of  this  manure,  aud  the 
maggots  were  observed  only  where  it  was  used.  Further  experience 
is  necessary  to  confirm  this  opinion. 

The  subject  of  the  so-called  gall  flies  which  affect  violets  has  also 
received  mention  by  Mr.  B.  T.  Galloway  in  his  recently  published  hand- 
book on  violet  culture  under  the  heading  "  Gall  Fly  Maggots."  The 
nature  of  the  injury  is  there  described  and  remedies  suggested.  This 
account  also  includes  a  half-tone  illustration  reproduced  from  a  photo- 
graph showing  the  twisted  leaves  of  violets. 

This  insect,  although  belonging  to  the  same  family  as  the  two  spe- 
cies already  referred  to  as  also  attacking  violets  in  Europe,  pertains  to 
a  different  genus;  and  while  its  work  is  very  similar  to  that  produced 
by  the  Cecidomyiu  affinis,  yet  a  comparison  of  the  adult  gall-gnats  with 
the  description  of  the  last  mentioned  species  reveals  the  fact  that  the 
two  are  very  distinct,  not  only  differing  in  the  venation  but  also  in  the 
structure  of  the  antenna?.     Following  is  a  description  of  our  species : 

Diplosis  violicola  uew  species. 

Antenna?  in  both  sexes  three-fifths  as  long  as  the  body,  li-jointed 
(2x12),  the  first  two  joints  subequal  in  length,  each  as  broad  as  long; 
third  joint  more  than  twice  as  long  as  the  second  and  more  slender, 
other  joints  becoming  successively  slightly  shorter  except  the  last  one; 
joints  3  to  13  each  slightly  constricted  near  the  middle,  narrowed  at 
the  apex  into  a  petiole,  which,  on  the  thirteenth  joint,  is  almost  one-half 
as  long  as  the  thickened  portion  of  the  joint;  2  whorls  of  bristly  hairs 
on  each  of  the  joints  from  3  to  13  inclusive,  one  near  the  base,  the 
other  near  the  apex  of  the  thickened   portion.     Head   aud  thorax 


51 

black,  the  hairs  yellow;  antennae  ami  legs  brown,  balteres  yellowish, 
sciiti'lhim  and  abdomen  bright  yellow,  the  bain  also  yellow.  Wings 
gray,  stronglj  iridescent,  thickly  covered  with  short  hairs;  flnl  rein 
extending  rather  close  to  the  costa,  terminating  slightly  before  the 
middle  of  the  wing;  third  veil!  terminating  distinctly  below  the 
extreme  tip  of  the  wing,  its  basal  portion,  connecting  with  the  first 
vein,  imperceptible;  fifth  vein  forked  near  the  middle,  the  anterior 
fori  terminating  midway  between  the  apes  <>r  the  posterior  fork  and 
of  the  tip  of  the  third  vein.     Length  1.26' to  l.oOlm". 

The  remedy  generally  employed  against  this  pest  consists  in  picking 

Off  and  destroying  the  infested  leaves.  It  is  also  amenable  to  the 
hydrocyanic  acid  gas  remedy,  as  detailed  in  Circular  No.  37,  2d  Ber., 
of  this  Division,  and  undoubtedly  also  to  the  bnhach  insect  pow- 
der, recommended  as  a  specitic  against  the  "gall  Hies"  on  roses. 
Tobacco,  however,  can  not  be  safely  used  to  any  great  extent  on  violets 
grown  under  glass. 

INSECTS   AND   THE   WEATHER:    OBSERVATIONS   DURING  THE 

SEASON  OF  1899. 

By  P.  H.  Chittenden. 

Every  economic  entomologist  receives  from*  time  to  time  complaints 
regarding  some  insect  which  is  stated  to  be  new  to  the  locality  of  the 
sender,  and,  among  other  questions,  it  is  often  asked,  will  the  insect  prove 
injurious  and  is  it  likely  to  reappear  in  future  years?  Such  communi- 
cations usually  apply  to  insects  which  are  periodical  in  their  attacks, 
common  examples  of  which  are  to  be  found  among  the  bill-bugs,  numer- 
ous flea-beetles,  cutworms,  army  worms,  etc.,  and  to  introduced  and 
other  insects  which  are  extending  their  ranger  In  the  case  of  many 
species,  such  as  certain  forms  of  plant-lice,  the  imported  cabbage 
worm,  tussock  moth,  etc.,  we  know  from  years  of  experience  that  para 
sites  or  other  enemies  are  almost  sure  to  check  the  later  appearing 
individuals  or  later  broods  of  the  insect  (if  there  be  more  than  one 
generation  annually),  and  we  can  usually  predict  a  scarcity  in  numbers 
for  one  or  two  years  to  come,  although  we  know  that  eventually  there 
will  probably  be  a  repetition  of  the  attack. 

Very  often  it  happens,  when  we  are  unable  to  account  for  a  sudden 
appearance  or  disappearance  of  an  insect  on  the  score  of  the  activity 
of  its  natural  enemies,  parasitic,  predaceous,  fungous,  or  bacterial,  that 
we  give  expression  to  the  opinion  that  some  atmospheric  condition,  heat 
or  cold,  dryness  or  moisture,  is  the  principal  element  that  has  brought 
about  its  reported  abundance  or  scarcity,  as  the  case  may  be;  but  if 
asked  to  show  in  just  what  manner  the  weather  has  been  responsible 
we  sometimes  hesitate  before  offering  the  desired  information. 

Official  entomologists  report  injury  or  scarcity  of  this  or  that  insect 


52 

year  by  year  in  their  annual  reports,  seldom  giving  the  cause  of  rarity 
or  abundance  a  thought.  During  the  season  which  has  just  passed 
the  writer  has  given  some  attention  to  this  subject,  particularly  in  its 
bearing  upon  insects  affecting  garden  crops;  and  it  is  the  object  of  this 
paper  to  explain  certain  of  the  apparent  phenomena  of  sudden  appear- 
ances and  disappearances,  the  notes  which  follow  being  directed  toward 
showing  that  certain  southern,  mostly  Austroriparian,  forms  of  insects 
occurring  in  and  near  the  District  of  Columbia  have  been  destroyed  or 
lessened  in  numbers  by  recent  severely  cold  weather  (as  well  as  by  other 
causes),  while  certain  northern,  or  Transition,  species  owe  an  evident 
very  perceptible  increase  to  the  same  cause. 

As  a  preliminary  it  will  be  necessary  to  define  briefly  the  location  of 
Washington  as  regards  the  life  areas. 

THE   LIFE   ZONES  ABOUT   THE  DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 

Inquiry  of  those  who  have  collected  for  years  in  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia, within  a  radius  of  100  miles  of  Washington,  brings  out  the  fact  that 
many  animals  belonging  to  the  Lower  Austral,  or  more  strictly  Austro- 
riparian, life  zone  inay  be  found  within  about  65  miles  southward,  while 
a  somewhat  smaller  number  of  Transition  or  Alleghanian  forms  occur 
within  the  same  distance  northward. 

At  Piney  Point,  Md. ^zoologists,  members  of  the  Biological  Survey 
of  this  Department,  and  others,  have  found  certain  birds  nesting  which 
are  not  known  to  breed  farther  north  in  this  longitude.  Mr.  Schwarz, 
who  has  done  considerable  collecting  in  this  vicinity,  particularly  of 
Coleoptera,  informs  me  that  many  southern  species  occur  there  which 
have  never  been  taken  farther  north,  and  that  many  of  these  have  found 
their  way  up  the  Potomac  into  what  is  called  the  Eastern  Branch,  as 
far  north  as  Bladensburg,  Md.  (about  7  miles  east  aud  a  little  north  of 
Washington),  that  are  identified  with  the  Lower  Austral  life  zone  and 
are  seldom  to  be  found  much  farther  north. 

Northward  the  exact  southern  limit  of  the  Transition  life  zone  does 
not  appear  to  be  so  well  defined.  Some  Subboreal  aud  many  Transition 
forms  of  Coleoptera,  Mr.  Schwarz  has  observed,  are  to  be  found  on 
some  of  the  highest  mountains  near  Harpers  Ferry  and  between  that 
point  and  Penmar,  in  Pennsylvania,  bordering  the  Maryland  State  line. 

During  the  writer's  first  years  in  the  city  of  Washington  he  was 
impressed  with  the  scarcity  of  individuals  of  many  of  the  species 
which  were  usually  to  be  found  in  so  much  greater  numbers  farther 
north,  and  was  at  first  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  fact.  Finally  it  was 
surmised  that  the  wanner  weather  of  fall  and  winter  interfered  with 
the  proper  hibernation  of  many  species,  the  warm  spells  which  are 
usually  experienced  here  during  the  wiuter  inducing  the  hibernating 
insects  to  come  forth  from  their  retreats  and  the  subsequent  sudden 
cold  snaps,  for  which  this  district  is  noted,  being  responsible  for  their 
decrease,  many  of  the  insects  being  killed  or  so  injured  that  they  were 
unable  to  survive  the  winter. 


Washington  is  situated  well  within  the  Carolinian  area  of  the  Upper 
Austral  life  gone,  bul  collectors  who  have  given  the  Btud)  <>r  the  dii 
tribntion  of  animals  any  attention  are  aware  that  theinaecl  fanna  of 
tlic  northern  portion  of  the  Carolinian  and  thai  of  the  southern  portion 
of  the  same  life  area  differ  to  a  very  considerable  extent.  Although 
many  Bpeeies  arc  common  to  both  regions,  certain  tonus  will  be  much 
more  abundant  cither  in  the  northern  or  in  the  southern  extremities. 

In  other  words,  there  are  present  iii  the  sou  t  hern  end  many  forms  whieli 

properly  belong  to  the  Austroriparian  section  of  the  Lower  Austral, 
while  the  northern  portion  has  a  preponderance  of  Transition  or  AJle 
ghanian  Bpeeies. 

The  District  of  Columbia  occupies  a  place  in  the  Carolinian  fauna! 
area  about  midway  between  the  two  extremities.  Many  of  the  north- 
ern or  Alleghanian  species  are  rarely  met  with  in  numbers  save  in 
exceptionally  favorable  seasons,  like  that  of  L899,  while  the  southern  or 
Austroriparian  forms  which  inhabit  this  latitude  are  usually  to  be 
found  in  all  years. 

SOUTHERN    CHARACTER    OF    THE    INSECT    FAUNA    OF    THE    DISTRICT 

OF   COLUMBIA. 

In  the  Heteroptera  we  find  perhaps  the  most  noticeable  examples 
from  the  southern  life  zones.  A  very  considerable  number  of  large 
conspicuous  southern  species1  habitually  occur  here,  and  their  usual 
normal  northern  limit  is  not  far  north  of  here  in  Maryland,  except  near 
the  coast  line,  where  many  species  of  this,  as  well  as  of  other  orders, 
go  considerably  farther  north  than  they  do  inland,  some  extending  into 
southern  Xew  Jersey  and  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  few  following 
the  coast  to  the  shores  of  Long  Island. 

A  notable  feature  in  connection  with  the  occurrence  of  the  northern 
spscies  of  Coleoptera  in  this  vicinity  is  that  they  are  mostly  vernal, 
appearing  late  in  March  or  early  in  April  if  the  season  favors  or  in  just 
about  the  same  temperature  which  induces  them  to  issue  from  their 
winter  quarters  a  month  and  more  later  in  their  more  northern  habitat.2 
Injurious  species  which  appear  at  this  time  include  the  white-pine 
weevil  (Pissodes  strobi),  certain  other  weevils  and  Scolytids  which  infest 

1  Among  these  species  may  be  mentioned:  Leptoylossus  corciihis.  Metapodius  termi- 
nalis,  Archimerus  calcarator,  Eitthoctha  galeator,  Ectrichodia  oruciata,  Chanesterus  an- 
tennator,  Stenopoda  ciiliciformis,  Xarvesus  earolinensis,  Pnirontis  injirma,  Pygolatupis 
pectoralis,  and  Laryus  ductus,  many  of  which  are  usually  abundant.  Of  rarer  but 
conspicuous  species  occasionally  taken  here  are  Sirthenea  carinata  and  Tetyra  bi- 
punctata.  The  former  has  been  taken  only  at  light;  the  latter  on  Pinus  inojjs  early 
in  spring. 

2 Many  Lower  Austral  forms  which  have  become  injurious  in  this  region  are  on 
the  other  hand  remarkably  late  in  their  occurrence  in  the  held,  some  of  them  produc- 
ing an  extra  generation  here  after  the  native  species  have  gone  into  hibernation. 


54 

conifers,  Orsodachna  atra,  Crepidodera  helxines,  and  other  species  which 
are  associated  with  willow.1 

The  other  orders  of  insects  doubtless  present  equally  striking  exam- 
ples of  the  preponderance  of  southern  forms  here,  but  they  have  not 
been  very  closely  studied  by  the  writer,  and  enough  has  been  said  to 
show  that  the  fauna  is  in  the  main  southern. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  COLD  WINTER  OF  1898-99. 

During  the  season  of  1899  the  writer  was  impressed  quite  early  in 
the  year  with  the  unusual  scarcity  of  certain  species  which  we  know 
are  more  abundant  in  the  South,  and  which  for  the  most  part  have 
been  introduced  from  warmer  districts,  and  the  corresponding  abun- 
dance of  many  species  which,  though  not  peculiar  to  the  North,  are 
more  thoroughly  acclimated  there,  and  are  usually  more  abundant  and 
destructive  in  colder  climates.  This  was  particularly  noticeable  of  the 
species  which  affect  garden  crops,  a  group  of  insects  which  has 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  writer  in  recent  years. 

The  cause  of  this  was  not  far  to  seek.  The  blizzard  which  began 
February  5  was  one  of  the  greatest  severity,  and  the  weather  was  the 
coldest  that  has  been  experienced  for  more  than  twenty  years.2 

The  winter  as  a  whole  was  an  unusually  cold  one,  with  few  warm 
spells,  and  it  was  a  long  time  after  the  blizzard  before  warm  weather 
was  experienced.3 

These  conditions  would  be  conducive  to  the  perfect  hibernation  of 
Northern  species,  but  would  be  destructive  to  Southern  ones.  A  few  of 
the  best  observed  examples  of  the  effects  of  the  cold  winter  weather  of 
1898-99  will  be  given,  beginning  with  a  consideration  of  Southern  forms.4 


1  Among  conspicuous  southern  species  of  Coleoptera  occurring  near  Washington 
are:  Helluomorpha  bicolor  and  nigripennis,  PMleurus  valgus,  Hopliatrivialis,  Canthon 
cyanellus,  Macrodactylus  angustatus,  (Erne  rigida,  Heterachthes  ebenus,  Cur'uts  dentatus, 
Liopus  crassulus,  Sinoxylon  texanum,  Acanthocinus,  nodosus,  Tetrops  canescens,  Hypo?', 
hagus  punctulatus,  Zabrotes  obliterans  and  subnitens,  Bruchus  obsoletus  and  Apion  segnipes. 
Amoug  northern  forms  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  boreal  zone  are:  Phellopsis 
obcordata,  Enchodes  sericea,  Boros  tinicolor,  Laricobius  erichsoni  and  Phyxelis  rigidus. 

2From  notes  made  by  Mr.  Clifton,  of  this  office,  in  his  private  diary,  and  which  he 
has  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal,  I  am  able  to  state  that  heavy  snows  ensued  for  the 
three  days  following  the  4th  of  February  ;  on  the  9th  the  thermometer  sunk  to  several 
degrees  below  zero,  continuing  below  for  the  next  two  days;  heavy  snow  fell  on  the 
11th,  and  the  blizzard  came  on  the  12th  and  13th,  traffic  being  suspended  on  the  latter 
day  and  the  day  following ;  on  the  16th  there  was  heavy  rain  and  freezing.  On  the 
7th  of  March  a  smaller  blizzard  visited  the  neighborhood,  following  a  warmer  spell. 

:iVery  much  the  same  conditions  have  been  present  over  a  wide  extent  of  the 
country  east  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  as  evidenced  by  correspondence  from  both 
west  and  south.  Certain  of  the  correspondence  from  southern  observers  will  be 
quoted.  Letters  were  also  received  from  different  portions  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
Michigan  in  regard  to  the  winter  weather  conditions  and  its  effects  upon  insects. 

4 It  was  not  alone,  perhaps,  the  severity  of  the  winter  of  1898-99  that  brought 
about  these  conditions  as  regards  the  scarcity  or  abundance  of  all  the  insects  under 
observation,  since  the  previous  winter  was  also  colder  than  normal,  and  without 
doubt  had  its  effect  on  some  of  these  species,  although  evidently  not  upon  others. 
The  effects  of  the  last  cold  spell  were  felt  upon  plants  as  well  as  insects,  peach  trees 
particularly  suffering,  as  well  as  certain  exotic  ornamental  trees  which  were  intro- 
duced here  several  years  previously. 


B0AB0IT1    OP  SOUTHERN    POBM8  0]     i\m;<  t   LIFE   i\    L899, 

Prominent  among  the  Southern  Bpeoies  of  insects  which  were  notice 
able  by  their  scarcity  in  L899  was  the  harlequin  cabbage  bug,  Murgantia 

histrionicn,  which  has  conic   nort  hwnrd    from  warmer  States   in    reeent 

years.  This  bug  has  been  the  most  injurious  <>f  all  garden  peats  for 
several  years  past  in  the  District  of  Columbia  aud  aear-by  points  of 
Maryland  ami  Virginia.    The  first  generation  of  the  bug  was  found 

this  year  only  upon  wild  criicil'eis  and  not  abundantly  on  these,  and 
with  moderate  tare  on  the  part  of  the  tanner  in  destroying  the  first 
brood  practically  no  trouble  would  have  been  experienced  with  later 
generations.  Even  as  it  is  but  trifling  damage  has  been  done  by  this 
species,  although  in  some  small  tields  some  injury  lias  been  committed, 
especially  late  in  the  season. 

The  tobacco  tlea-beetle,  Epitriv  parvula,  which  lias  been  quite 
iujurious  in  the  past,  and  was  particularly  numerous  last  year  when 
nearly  every  leaf  of  tobacco  in  many  districts  was  ''peppered"  with 
holes,  was  rare  the  present  season,  comparatively  speaking,  its  effects 
being  scarcely  perceptible  on  most  plants  inspected. 

The  imbricated  snout  beetle,  Epiccvrus  imbricatus,  though  several 
times  observed,  was  rarer  than  in  several  years. 

The  green  June  beetle,  Allorhina  nitida,  though  locally  not  really 
rare,  was  much  less  common  than  usual,  and  not  nearly  so  abundant 
as  last  year.  Col.  W.  Eives  reported  it  extremely  scarce  at  Rives,  Md., 
as  did  also  Mr.  A.  T.  Goldsborough  at  Wesley  Heights,  D.  C. 

The  squash-vine  borer,  Melittia  mtyriniformis,  appeared  so  late  in 
the  season  that  large  crops  of  cymblings  were  obtained  without  diffi- 
culty, something  that  was  an  impossibility,  owing  to  the  numbers  of 
the  insect,  during  the  season  of  1897  and  1898.  Later  in  the  season 
the  species  showed  its  presence,  but  nofr  in  such  excessive  numbers  as 
in  former  years. 

The  two  Pyralid  borers  of  cucurbit  fruits,  the  so-called  pickle  worm, 
Margaronia  nitidalis,  and  melon  caterpillar,  ,1/.  hyalinata,  were  neither 
of  them  to  be  found,  though  frequent  search  was  made  for  them.  The 
former  was  observed  in  considerable  abundance  in  1897,  doing  appre- 
ciable injury  in  this  vicinity,  but  could  not  be  found  in  1898.  The  lat- 
ter was  observed,  although  rarely,  in  1898. 

The  cabbage  Pionea,  Pionea  rimosalis,  was  not  found  at  all  in  the 
neighborhood  during  the  season,  although  many  cabbage  patches  were 
visited  in  the  course  of  investigation  of  insects  affecting  cruciferous 
crops.  Southward  the  species  was  present  in  some  numbers  and  did 
appreciable  damage.     Specimens  received  in  the  fall  were  parasitized. 

The  garden  webworm,  Loxostege  simiJalis,  was  not  noticed  once  the . 
past  season,  although  search  was  made  for  it.  Specimens,  however, 
were  received  from  Georgia,  and  moths  as  well  as  larvre  were  numerous 
during  two  years  preceding.  This  is  very  obviously  a  Southern  species, 
as  it  extends  its  range  into  South  America,  from  which  it  has  spread 
northward. 


56 

The  Northern  leaf-footed  plant-bug,  Leptoglossus  oppositus,  though 
uot  a  species  of  great  importance,  was  rarely  seen  as  compared  with 
the  previous  two  years;  and  the  same  is  true  of  a  species  of  similar 
habits  and  economic  status,  the  horned  squash  bug,  Anasa  armigera. 

Of  the  effect  of  the  cold  winter  in  the  South,  Mr.  H.  M.  Simons, 
Charleston,  S.  C,  wrote  in  response  to  our  suggestion  concerning  the 
effect  of  the  climatic  conditions  upon  the  imported  cabbage  webworm, 
Helluld  undalis,  that  the  cold  weather  had  probably  caused  the  decrease 
of  this  insect  which  he  had  noticed  for  the  season  of  1899.  He  wrote 
July  22  that  the  previous  winter  had  been  unusually  severe,  being 
marked  with  snaps  of  intense  coldness.  It  is  just  such  weather  as 
this,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  that  would  destroy  many  individuals  of  an 
insect  which  is  not  yet  thoroughly  acclimatized  with  us,  since  such 
sudden  changes  and  severely  cold  spells  are  practically  never  experi- 
enced in  the  Old  World  regions  to  which  this  insect  is  native.  Mr.  N. 
L.  Willet  reported  a  similar  scarcity  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  saying  that  it 
was  a  difficult  matter  to  obtain  specimens  until  the  last  of  August,  when 
practically  the  first  evidence  of  attack  became  manifest.  Both  of  these 
gentlemen  reported  serious  injury  the  previous  year. 

The  larger  corn  stalk-borer,  Diatrcea  saccharaUsj  was  also  extremely 
rare  in  those  localities  where  it  was  found  abundantly  in  1898  and  prior 
to  that  time.  Several  fields  were  visited  where  individuals  had  been 
observed  in  numbers  previously  and  only  a  single  chrysalis  was  found 
after  several  hours'  search. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  stalk-borer  was  being  observed  a  close 
watch  for  the  corn -ear  worm,  Heliothis  armiger,  was  made.  This  was 
comparatively  rare  upon  corn  and  other  crops  which  it  is  known  to 
infest.1  In  one  locality,  however,  it  was  reported  troublesome  and  the 
later  generations  did  some  injury,  but  sweet  corn  which  it  generally 
injures  seriously  was  very  little  affected.  In  Mississippi  this  species 
did  extensive  damage  the  present  year  to  beans  by  boring  into  the  pods. 

The  American  locust,  Schistocerca  americana,  which  is  usually  suffi- 
ciently abundant  a  few  miles  south  of  Washington  to  attract  attention, 
was  not  noticed  at  all  in  1899  in  any  of  the  frequent  visits  paid  to  the 
localities  where  it  has  always  abounded  in  previous  years  until  Sep- 
tember 23,  when  a  single  individual  was  seen,  a  few  others  being 
observed  later. 

ABUNDANT   NORTHERN   FORMS   OF   INSECTS  IN   1899. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  of  the  Northern  species  which  were 
injurious  the  present  season  was  the  imported  cabbage  butterfly,  Pieris 
rapce,  the  first  generation  of  which  destroyed  many  early  cabbages. 
The  later  individuals  of  this  first  generation,  it  was  observed,  were  very 

xTbe  fall  army  worm,  Laphygma  frugiperda,  practically  replaced  the  last  two  men- 
tioned insects,  being  often  found,  while  in  search  for  them,  working  on  com  in  a 
somewhat  similar  manner. 


57 

extensively  parasitized  in  then-  larval  condition  i>\  their  two  moat 
common  parasitic  enemies,  and  t<>  these  we  may  ascribe  the  comparative 
immunity  from  later  generations  of  the  pest. 

The  cabbage  ourculio,  ( leutorhynchua  rapa .  ooenrred  in  myriads  early 
in  the  season  on  wild  orucifers,  bat  did  ool  attack  cabbages  at  the  time 
when  they  were  planted  in  gardens.  The  ae*  generation  of  beetles 
attacked  cabbage  and  other  crucifers,  1  »u t  these  had  1 1 1  ;i < i «*  such  good 
growth  that  n<>  trouble  was  experienced. 

The  clover- leaf  weevil,  Phy tonomus  punctatus,  was  observed  in  the 

hitter  part  of  August  by  the  writer,  as  well  as  by  Messrs.  Schwarz  and 
Pratt,  in  greater  numbers  than  ever  seen  before  in  this  locality. 

The  common  rhubarb  eiirculio,  Lixus  concavus,  was  similarly  abundant 
early  in  the  season  in  most  fields  visited,  attacking  every  plant  of 
rhubarb  and  dock  and  puncturing  often  every  stalk  and  leaf-stalk. 

The  zebra  caterpillar,  Mamestra  picta,  though  reported  to  occur  con- 
siderably farther  south  than  the  District  of  Columbia,  had  not  been 
observed  by  the  writer  here  until  the  present  year,  when  considerable 
numbers  were  seen. 

The  plum  moth,  Qrapholitha  prunivora,  which  is  somewhat  of  a  pest 
in  Canada  and  some  of  our  most  northern  States,  was  quite  abundant 
the  past  summer  in  some  orchards,  attacking  and  destroying  both  plums 
and  apples. 

The  imported  currant  worm,  Pteronus  ribesii,  was  also  among  the 
injurious  species  found  the  present  year;  but  most  noticeable  of  all  was 
the  abundance  of  insects  which  affect  strawberry,  blackberry,  and  simi- 
lar rosaceous  crops.  Among  these  were  the  oblique-banded  leaf-roller 
( Caccecia  rosaceana) ;  an  allied  species,  Lozotcenia  clemensiana ;  the  rasp- 
berry sawtiy  (Monophadnus  rubi);  the  raspberry  leaf-roller  (Exartema 
pennundana) ;  the  common  strawberry  leaf-roller  (Phoxopteris  comptana), 
and  the  raspberry  cane-borer  {Oberea  bimaculata).  Most  of  these  were 
exceedingly  numerous  and  were  equally  scarce  in  former  years.  Some 
were  discovered  for  the  first  time  the  present  year  on  rosaceous  crop 
plants  in  this  vicinity. 

ON  SPECIES  COMMON  TO  NORTH  AND  SOUTH. 

Thus  far  we  have  considered  insects  which  are  for  the  most  part 
distinctly  Southern,  at  least  in  their  origin,  or  that  are  confined  more 
particularly  to  the  ^orth  or  are  at  least  more  injurious  there  than  far 
southward.  Of  the  occurrence  this  year  of  species  which  are  usually 
about  equally  abundant  and  troublesome  in  most  States  of  the  North 
and  South,  I  am  unable  to  draw  any  deduction.  On  the  whole,  how- 
ever, many  of  these,  which  include  a  very  considerable  portion  of  our 
injurious  species,  were  locally  scarce,  more  so  thau  in  previous  years, 
but  the  writer  at  present  finds  it  impossible  to  account  for  this  on  the 


lThe  reasons  for  the  retention  of  the  above  name  for  the  cabbage  curculio  will  be 
given  in  a  forthcoming  bulletin. 


58 

score  of  the  weather.  For  example,  the  squash  ladybird,  EpUachna 
borealUj  which  is  a  thoroughly  acclimated  species  coming  originally, 
though  a  great  many  years  ago,  from  the  South,  was  unusually  trouble- 
some in  some  localities  and  scarce  in  others.  The  same  is  true  of  l>ia- 
brotica  vittata,  the  striped  cucumber  beetle. 

Of  periodically  injurious  species  that  were  troublesome  the  present 
year  about  Washington,  and  that  do  not  fall  readily  into  either  the 
Northern  or  Southern  group,  are  the  fall  army  worm  (Laphygmafrugi- 
per  da),  grass  bill- bug  (Sphenophorw  parvulus),  pale-striped  llea-beetle 
(Systeiia  blanda),  bean  leaf-beetle  (Cerotoma  trifurcata).  and  the  destruc- 
tive green  pea  louse  [Nectarophora  destructor  Johns.  MSS.). 

The  fall  army  worm  and  other  cutworms  are  not  apparently  very 
susceptible  to  changes  of  the  weather.  The  bill-bugs  hibernate  in  the 
adult  stage,  and  in  this  condition  are  among  the  most  difficult  insects 
to  destroy,  being  long  lived  and  exceedingly  tenacious  of  life.  The 
plant-lice,  though  delicate  in  structure,  are  really  capable  of  enduring 
a  considerable  variation  of  temperature,  and  are  to  be  found  in  activity 
after  severe  frosts  and  long  after  most  insects  have  sought  their  win- 
ter quarters.  It  is  matter  of  common  observation  that  they  are  less 
affected  by  cold  and  by  the  sudden  changes  which  destroy  many  insects 
in  wintej  than  by  heat  and  dryness,  or  by  dampness  or  humidity. 
Prolonged  cloudy,  wet,  or  humid  weather  favors  their  multiplication, 
because  it  is  practically  only  in  sunny  weather  that  the  parasites  of 
plant-lice  are  active.  The  Chrysomelidae,  which  includes  the  leaf-beetles 
and  flea-beetles,  with  but  few  exceptions,  hibernate  as  adults,  and  are 
also  unusually  vigorous  when  in  this  stage,  the  tobacco  flea-beetle 
being  apparently  an  exception. 

COMPARISONS   WITH   OBSERVATIONS    3IADE   IN   OTHER    STATES. 

The  observations  conducted  by  the  writer  in  Maryland.  Virginia,  and 
the  District  of  Columbia  just  mentioned,  and  the  deductions  drawn 
therefrom,  were  independent  of  those  reported  by  other  economic 
writers,  and  to  bring  out  this  fact  more  clearly  and  to  show  that  the 
conclusions  were  drawn  from  personal  observation  originally,  the 
reports  of  Messrs.  Johnson.  Webster,  and  Quaintance  on  the  same  and 
similar  insects,  as  well  as  those  of  Messrs.  Marlatt  and  Scott  on  the 
effect  of  the  recent  weather  on  scale  insects,  are  referred  to  in  different 
paragraphs.  The  manuscripts  from  which  the  notes  which  follow  are 
taken  reached  me  about  the  middle  of  September,  after  most  of  my 
observations  had  beeu  written  down,  and  as  the  papers  in  question 
have  already  been  published  in  a  previous  bulletin  of  this  series  (Bui. 
No.  20,  n.  s.),  where  particulars  are  given,  the  different  species  will  be 
only  briefly  mentioned. 

To  begin  with,  the  different  species  reported  by  Professor  Johnson 
as  injurious  during  the  season  in  Maryland,  the  currant  worm,  Pteronus 
ribesii,  was  described  as  a  serious  pest  throughout  the  State,  and  was 


59 

reported  also  to  have  done  much  iujurj  at  I  ienderaon,  B  j .  The  gi  ape 
\ine  flea-beetle,  Haltica  chalybea^  which  maj  i»<-  considered  ;i  Northern 
Bpeeies,  was  also  yerj  abundant  in  the  northern  part  <>t  Maryland  and 
many  complaints  were  made  of  injury  t<>  grape  leaves  and  unfolding 

buds.  The  harlequin  cabbage  bug  was  so  rare  in  tin-  State  a-  t<>  have 
been  mentioned  bj  Professor  Johnson  as  bardly  to  have  been  seen  by 
li i in  during  the  season,  only  one  complaint  having  been  received  at  his 
office,  as  compared  with  very  serious  injury  inflicted  the  previous 
season.  The  imported  cabbage  worm.  Fieri*  r<t/><t\  "continued  its 
depredations  without  any  perceptible  diminution." 

Mr.  Webster's  experience  with  the  harlequin  cabbage  bug in  Ohio  was 
similar,  lie  says  that  it  "  certainly  sustained  a  severe  repulse  by  the 
low  temperature  of  the  last  winter.  *  *  *  Its  almost  entire  absence 
lias  been  reported  in  localities  where  last  year  it  was  disastrously 
abundant."  Exartema  permundana  was  concerned  in  injury  to  black 
berry  in  Ohio,  having  been  reported  from  Wayne  County  in  May. 

Finally,  from  Mr.  Quaintance's  very  full  report  on  insects  injurious  to 
the  trucking  industry  in  Georgia  during  the  year,  it  will  be  seen  by 
comparison  with  his  paper  that  those  Southern  species  which  were  rare 
the  present  season  about  Washington  were  fully  as  abundant  as  in 
previous  years  in  the  South,  additional  proof  that  the  weather  was  the 
responsible  factor  in  reducing  the  numbers  of  these  pests  near  Wash- 
ington. Included  in  his  list  of  troublesome  species  of  the  year  are 
Allorhina  nitida,  Heliothis  armigmr,  Diatrcea  saccharalis,  Margaronia 
nitidalis,  Pionea  rimosalis,  and  Murgantia  histrionica. 

SPECIES  THAT  WERE   CONTROLLED  BY  PARASITES  AND  DISEASE. 

Two  species  somewhat  generally  attributed  to  the  South,  but  so  well 
distributed  northward  as  hardly  to  be  considered  truly  southern,  were 
also  rare;  but  this  rarity  is  evidently  due  in  part  to  other  causes  besides 
low  temperature  which,  however,  probably  assisted  in  reducing  the 
numbers  of  these  pests. 

The  cabbage  looper,  Plusia  brassiccey  which  has  shared  with  the 
harlequin  cabbage  bug  the  distinction  of  being  the  most  troublesome 
of  our  garden  pests  in  past  years,  and  which  was  extremely  abundant 
in  the  season  of  1898,  was  not  to  be  found  at  all  the  present  year  until 
about  the  middle  of  August,  and  then  very  rarely.  The  larva?  of  the 
last  generation  of  1898  were  quite  extensively  parasitized,  and  this 
undoubtedly  served  as  a  check  on  the  species  the  past  season. 

Protoparce  Carolina  was  much  less  abundant  the  past  year  than  the 
northern  P.  celeus,  except  in  one  single  locality,  where  only  the  former 
was  found.  The  previous  year  there  was  no  such  great  disparity  in 
numbers,  but  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the  weather  was  the 
important  factor  in  the  present  case,  as  both  species  may  be  largely 
influenced  as  regards  abundance  or  rarity  by  their  parasitic  enemies 
and  diseases.     All  of  the  Carolina  observed  were   badly  parasitized, 


60 

and  it  seems  probable  that  we  will  have  no  such  numbers  the  coming 
season. 

Both  of  the  above  species  are  quite  subject  to  bacterial  and  other 
diseases,  and  .diseased  individuals  of  both  were  noticed,  but  the  extent 
of  infection  was  not  estimated. 

No  complaints  of  injury  by  either  species  in  any  portion  of  the 
country  have  come  to  my  knowledge,  although  a  few  specimens  were 
sent  in  by  correspondents  in  the  South.  In  this  connection  comparison 
is  made  with  the  observations  of  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Quaiutauce. 
The  former  reported  the  cabbage  looper  as  having  ruined  hundreds  of 
acres  of  cabbage  in  Maryland  in  1808,  but  hardly  a  specimen  was 
obtained  in  the  trucking  areas  the  present  year.  In  Georgia,  according 
to  Mr.  Quaintance,  only  a  single  larva  was  observed.  The  experience 
of  the  latter  gentleman  as  to  the  comparative  abundance  of  the  two 
tobacco  worms  agrees  with  my  own. 

It  would  seem  probable  also  that  the  pickle  worm  owes  its  destruc- 
tion to  other  causes  than  temperature,  since  the  same  rarity  has  been 
noticed  in  Georgia  as  about  the  District  of  Columbia.  A  bacterial 
disease  is  suspected,  as  the  related  nitidalis  has  been  observed  by  the 
writer  to  die  from  this  cause. 

From  the  examples  given  it  is  reasonably  plain  that  weather  which  is 
unfavorable  to  insects  properly  belonging  to  the  Lower  Austral  life 
zone  and  which  extend  their  range  into  the  warmer  portions  of  the 
Upper  Austral,  as  in  and  near  the  District  of  Columbia,  may  favor 
the  development  of  Transition  forms,  and  vice  versa.  With  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  effect  of  the  latest  cold  spell  we  ought  to  be  able  to  predict 
with  tolerable  certainty,  provided  other  forces  with  which  we  are  unac- 
quainted are  not  also  at  work,  a  similar  result  following  the  same 
or  similar  conditions  in  future  years. 

As  regards  the  immediate  future,  there  is  every  probability  that  the 
conditions  in  the  region  under  consideration,  as  well  perhaps  as  in 
other  regions  having  the  same  fauna,  will  not  be  materially  changed 
next  year  from  what  they  have  been  the  past  season;  and  if  the  pre- 
diction of  some  wiseacre  whom  the  writer  has  seen  quoted  that  the 
winter  1899-1900  will  be  a  severe  one  is  verified,  there  is  strong  proba 
bility  of  a  continuance  of  preseni  conditions,  leading  perhaps  to  an 
even  greater  lecrease  in  southern  forms  and  to  a  corresponding  increase 
in  northern  species.1 

PROBABLE    DECREASE    IN   INJURY    TO    CUCURBIT    AND    CRUCIFEROUS 

CROPS. 

It  will  be  noticed  by  anyone  who  is  conversant  with  the  habits  of 
the  insects  enumerated  as  being  affected  by  atmospheric  changes,  para- 
sites, and  diseases,  that  it  includes  a  considerable  number  of  those 
which  attack  squash,  cucumber  and  other  cucurbit  crops;  cabbage, 
turnip  and  other  cruciferous  plants,  and  rosaceous  and  other  small  fruits. 


'The  writer  does  not  desire  to  be  understood  as  in  any  way  forecasting  the  future, 
but  merely  as  expressing  the  belief  that  certain  results  would  naturally  follow 
certain  conditions. 


61 

in  the  case  of  the  cucurbits  these  are  <>i*  impieal  ori-in,  ;iml  tin-  in-ects 
which  affect  them  are  for  the  mod  part  tobefonod  In  the  Tropics,  from 
which  region  they  have  extended  In  comparatively  recent  times  north 
of  tli<j  Lower  Austral  life  /one.  The  squash  Tine  borer  will  probably 
not  suil'ci-  any  great  diminution,  but  the  pickle  worm  and  the  melon 
caterpillar,  being  more  truly  southern  and  being  apparently  actually 
absent  from  this  region  at  the  present  time,  wilJ  doubtless  require  mi 
era]  years  before  they  can  regain  ;i  foothold  here,  Buch  at  l<-;i-t  as  (he 

former  species  had  in  L897  (See  liulletin  No.  L9,  p.  II).  The  leaf  tooled 
plttUt-bug  and  horned  squash  bug  are  somewhat  better  calculated  to 
survive  a  cold  spell  than  many  species  BO  distinctly  Lower  Austral  as 

these  appear  to  be. 

The  pests  of  cabbage  and  other  cruciferous  crops  have  been  con 
trolled  more  particularly  by  parasites,  although  the  weather  doubtless 
assisted  greatly.  It'  I  may  be  understood  as  being  more  specific  with- 
out being  subject  to  the  charge  of  prognosticating,  I  would  say  that 
the  harlequin  cabbage  bug  should  be  on  the  whole  rare  next  year  at 
the  beginning  of  the  season,  though  it  may  be  fairly  abundant  in  some 
few  limited  localities,  particularly  late  in  the  season  and  in  the  absence 
of  an  attempt  to  control  it.  Even  in  the  case  of  the  last  generation, 
which  appears  to  be  the  third,  this  was  so  small  in  individuals  in  1899 
that  under  any  circumstances  enough  should  not  survive  to  work  exten- 
sive injury.  Such  specimens  of  the  cabbage  looper  as  were  collected 
here  and  received  from  the  South  were  mostly  parasitized,  and  this 
species  ought  to  be  held  in  check  by  its  parasites  alone.  The  imported 
cabbage  butterfly,  though  numerous  early  in  the  season,  was  apparently 
almost  completely  killed  off  by  parasites.  As  the  cabbage  Piouea  was 
not  once  observed  all  season  in  1899  further  comment  is  superfluous. 

Leaving  out  the  insect  enemies  of  cucurbits  and  cruciferous  crops, 
which  have  been  largely  reduced  in  this  region  by  the  cold  spell  or  par- 
asites, there  remain  for  cucurbits  a  few  species  of  importance.  These 
include  the  striped  cucumber  beetle,  common  squash  bug,  melon  louse, 
and  squash  ladybird.  Parasitic  and  other  natural  enemies  of  the  first 
three  were  noticed  to  be  unusually  active  throughout  the  season  and 
their  services  should  have  due  effect  in  decreasing  the  pests  for  another 
year,  but  in  spite  of  these  it  may  happen  that  any  one  or  all  four  will 
be  troublesome,  at  least  locally. 

Of  the  principal  specific  cruciferous  plant  pests  which  have  not  been 
mentioned,  the  cabbage  louse,  diamond-back  moth,  and  flea-beetles, 
were  all  present  during  the  year,  but  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  jus- 
tify any  fear  that  any  of  them  will  be  especially  and  extensively  trou- 
blesome next  season. 

PROBABLE   DECREASE    IN    OTHER   INSECTS   AFFECTED   BY   COLD. 

Of  other  pests  mentioned  as  rare  during  1899  on  account  of  the  sever- 
ity of  the  winter,  the  tobacco  flea-beetle,  imbricated  snout-beetle,  gar- 
den webworm,  and  corn  stalk  borer  will  probably  not  again  resume 


62 

their  abundance  of  recent  years  for  one  or  more  seasons  to  come,  unless 
unknown  influences  are  involved. 

We  can  scarcely  expect  future  scarcity  of  the  corn-ear  worm  unless 
another  severe  and  blizzard-marked  winter  is  in  store,  as  this  insect 
increased  in  numbers  with  the  advance  of  the  season  until,  toward  the 
closing  days  of  September,  it  was  fairly  abundant  in  corn  fields,  though 
not  injurious  in  gardens.  The  immediate  future  of  the  American 
locust  is  also  doubtful.  Both  of  these  species  are  strong  fliers,  and 
favorable  winds  might  bring  either  in  considerable  numbers  and  to  a 
great  distance  northward  in  a  year  or  two  and  the  two  species  again 
be  as  common  as  ever. 

NORTHERN    SPECIES    APPARENTLY    BENEFITED    BY     COLD    WINTERS. 

This  brings  us  to  the  subject  of  the  species  which  are  more  at  home 
in  colder  regions,  and  which  were  apparently  benefited  by  the  cold 
spell  in  their  hibernation.  A  study  of  the  insects  affecting  strawberry, 
blackberry  and  other  rosaceous  garden  crops  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia  goes  to  show  that  we  have  in  this  region  only  one 
species  which  is  really  of  prime  importance  in  ordinary  years,  the  straw- 
berry weevil,  which  it  might  be  mentioned  was  reported  injurious 
the  past  year  as  in  nearly  every  year  for  the  past  decade  and  more. 
The  other  insect  enemies  of  these  crops  are,  with  scarcely  an  exception, 
Northern  species,  and  we  may  expect  a  continuance  and  possibly  an 
increase  of  these  provided  the  cold  weather  prevails  throughout  the 
winter  1899-1900.  The  same  is  true  of  the  insects  which  affect  the 
currant  and  gooseberry,  only  one  of  which,  the  imported  currant  worm, 
has  been  noticed  injurious  in  this  viciuity  in  recent  years. 

SOME    GENERALIZATIONS. 

Finally,  I  wish  to  emphasize  a  remark  made  by  Dr.  Howard  in  a 
discussion  of  the  geographical  distribution  within  the  United  States  of 
certain  insects  injuring  cultivated  crops  and  brought  out  in  referring  to 
the  American  locust  (Proc.  Ent.  Soc.  Wash.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  225),  which  my 
own  observations  substantiate.  It  is  that  in  certain  forms  of  insects 
the  winter  temperature  must  have  some  effect  in  determining  distribu- 
tion. While  admitting  that  the  past  winter  was  exceptional  as  regards 
temperature,  the  writer  feels  confident  in  carrying  conclusions  still  far- 
ther in  stating  that  in  his  opinion,  based  upon  the  study  of  the  effect 
of  that  winter  on  injurious  Northern  and  Southern  forms  of  insects 
occuring  in  that  portion  of  the  Carolinian  or  humid  life  areas  of  the 
Austro  riparian  and  Alleghanian  zones  (a  climate  like  that  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia),  mean  winter  temperature  has  more  effect  upon  deter 
mining  the  rarity  or  abundance  of  these  species  than  has  the  mean 
summer  temperature.     These  observations  tend  to  show,  also,  what  has 


68 

been  long  known  in  regard  bo  plant  growth  and  theoretically  of  In  eel 
that  sadden  ohaugea  hi  the  winter  temperature,  snob  as  "  freezes  w  oi 
severe  and  protracted  cold  "snaps" w  hioh  sometimes  folloi  nnseasonably 
warm  spells,  are  more  inimical  boinseol  lifehere  and  particularly  when 
these  occur  after  \\  arm,  sunny  days  In  earlj  Bpring  or  late  w  Inter  n  hen 
many  species  arc  t  cm  pied  to  issue  prematurely  from  their  winter  quar 
ters)  than  are  hot  spells  In  Bummer  or  autumn  and  periods  <»r  long 
drought.1  in  Kansas  a  mi  other  States  of  the  middle  West,  and  especially 
southward  in  the  arid  region  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  A.ustral  (Sonoran) 
areas,  the  contrary .  according  to  Mr.  Marian.  Is  true  owing  to  the  greater 
frequency  and  length  of  droughts  iii  that  region. 

During  the  entire  season  of  L899  not  a  single  instance  came  under 
notice  of  an  insect  which  was  lessened  in  cumbers  to  any  appreciable 
extent  by  atmospheric  conditions  existent  during  the  summer.  During 
the  season  of  1  SIX),  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  noticed  of  two  Species, 
the  Colorado  potato  beetle  and  the  common  asparagus  beetle,'  whose 
larva'  tcod  freely  exposed  upon  their  host  plants,  that  the  intense  heat 
of  that  summer  had  the  effect  of  killing  them  off  in  a  very  marked 
degree. 

It  also  appears  to  me  what  has  been  observed  by  Mr.  Marlatt  in  the 
case  of  scale  insects  (Bui.  No.  20,  n.  s.,  p.  73),  is  true  in  general,  viz, 
that  favorable  or  unfavorable  climatic  conditions  are  of  greater  impor- 
tance in  determining  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  insects  as  a  whole 
than  are  other  natural  checks  such  as  parasitic  and  other  enemies,  or 
even  fungous  or  bacterial  diseases. 

The  year  that  has  just  passed,  with  its  blizzards  and  low  temperatures, 
was  an  exceptioual  one,  and  for  that  very  reason  had  so  striking  an 
effect  as  to  have  called  forth  general  remark  on  the  part  of  the  botan- 
ist, fruit  grower,  and  in  fact  all  others  interested  in  plant  life  as  well 
as  the  entomologist,  and  it  is  in  just  such  years  that  we  are  best  able 
to  observe  the  effect  of  the  weather  and  to  draw  conclusions  as  to 
the  particular  factors  which  conduce  toward  the  preservation  of  the 
balance  of  nature. 

1  This  subject  is  treated  more  fully  by  Dr.  Howard  iu  his  artiele,  entitled  tl  Tem- 
perature experiments  as  affecting  received  ideas  on  the  hibernation  of  injurious 
insects/'  and  in  the  discussion  which  followed  the  presentation  of  that  paper  before 
the  meeting  of  the  Association  of  Economic  Entomologists  in  1897  (Bui.  No. !'.  n.  s., 
pp.  18, 19).  It  was  conclusively  shown  by  Dr.  Howard,  through  an  experiment  con- 
ducted by  Dr.  A.  M.  Eead,  with  larva;  of  Tineela  buelliella  and  Attagenus  piceus,  that 
a  consistent  temperature  of  18°  F.  would  not  destroy  these  insects,  but  that  an 
alternation  of  a  low  temperature  with  a  comparatively  high  one  invariably  resulted 
in  the  death  of  both. 

2The  latter  species  affords  an  excellent  example  of  the  effect  o-f  temperature  in 
limiting  the  distribution  of  an  introduced  insect  northward  and  southward,  the  cold 
"  snaps"  killing  off"  the  hibernating  beetles  in  the  northern  limits  of  the  species  and 
the  hot  dry  spells  of  summer  effecting  a  similar  result  in  respect  to  the  larva'  in  its 
southern  limit  (see  writer's  remarks  in  Yearbook  Dept.  Agr.  for  1896,  p.  374). 


64 

The  subject  is  one  of  considerable  interest  and  promise,  but  fraught 
with  difficulties.  In  the  writer's  opinion,  several  years  of  careful  study 
of  different  species,  and  particularly  of  most  of  those  which  have  re- 
cently been  under  observation,  together  with  all  of  the  elements  which 
tend  to  produce  an  increase  or  decrease  in  their  numbers,  would  be 
productive  of  definite  conclusions  as  to  the  cause  of  these  fluctuations. 

FOOD  PLANTS   AND    INJURY  OF   NORTH   AMERICAN    SPECIES   OF 

AGRILUS. 

By  F.  H.  Chittenden. 

At  the  time  of  the  publication  of  an  article  on  the  bronze  birch  borer, 
Agrilus  anxius  Gory,  in  Bulletin  No.  18  (n.  s.,  pp.  44-51), which  appeared 
in  January,  1899,  it  was  intended  to  include  some  observations  on  the 
habits  of  other  species  of  Agrilus,  together  with  a  summary  of  the 
known  host  trees  of  other  North  American  species,  and  the  paper 
which  is  presented  here  was  prepared  with  that  intention.  Lack  of 
space,  however,  prevented  its  publication  at  that  time,  and  it  is  now 
presented  as  a  separate  article,  together  with  a  few  additions  resulting 
from  observations  during  the  past  season. 

The  Buprestid  genus  Agrilus  includes  five  species  which  have  been 
reported  to  be  injurious  to  birch  and  poplar,  chestnut  and  oak,  Lombardy 
poplar,  raspberry  and  blackberry,  and  pear  trees,  respectively ;  and  there 
is  strong  likelihood  that  some  others,  which  will  receive  mention  in  this 
article,  may  assume  destructive  habits  at  any  time.  In  the  notes  which 
follow  special  mention  of  injury  by  different  species  of  Agrilus  a  sum- 
mary is  given  of  all  the  North  American  species  whose  food  habits  are 
known,  together  with  their  host  plants,  dates  of  appearances,  and  refer- 
ences to  published  records  of  their  habits. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  portion  of  the  article  the  writer  has  made 
free  use  of  Divisional  notes  and  is  particularly  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  A. 
Schwarz  for  kindness  in  placing  at  his  disposal  many  unpublished  notes 
based  on  the  observations  of  the  late  H.  G.  Hubbard  and  himself  on 
the  food  plants  of  species  mostly  of  the  Southwestern  States. 

THE   BRONZE   BIRCH   BORER. 

As  the  subject  of  the  biology  and  remedies  to  be  applied  to  this 
species  has  lately  become  a  special  study  on  the  part  of  Prof.  M.  V.  Slin- 
gerland,  of  the  Cornell  University  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  it 
has  not  been  given  the  same  attention  at  this  office  since  the  publica- 
tion of  the  writer's  former  article  on  this  insect  that  would  otherwise 
have  been  given  it.  A  few  facts,  however,  have  been  reported  by  cor- 
respondence and  others  have  come  under  observation  through  office 
rearings  which  are  of  interest  and  which  may  be  appropriately  recorded 
here  in  connection  with  what  will  be  said  concerning  other  species  of 
the  same  genus. 


66 

Further  report*  of  conditions  at  Buffalo,  x.  )'.  in  b  letter  dated 
Deoember2,  1898,  Mr.  M.  r.  Adams  stated  that  the  trees  In  Delaware 
Park,  Buffalo,  n.  v.,  were  infested  ;»i  a  time  prior  to  those  in  which  the 
insect  was  iir>!  discovered  and  subsequently  reported  to  this  office,  it 
was  learned  from  Bomeof  the  park  employees  thai  the  health  ol  the 
biroh  trees  there  were  Impaired  by  a  little  sapsocker  presumed 
Pious  (Dryobates)  pubescent.  This  bird  was  believed  to  have  seriously 
injured  the  trees,  which  brought  the  condition  of  the  Bap  to  the  liking 
of  the  borer,  ami  it  multiplied  so  freely  thai  it  was  afters  ard  !  driven  to 
attack  and  has  been  the  primary  cause  of  the  death  of  many  healthy 
trees.    This  was  effected  through  the  carelessness  of  allowing  the  first 

trees  attacked  to  remain  Standing,  or  in  wood  piles,  all  of  which  aided 

in  the  accumulation  of  the  pest. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  correspondent  states  that  a  tree  which  he  had 
under  observation  during  the  past  few  years,  and  which  is  located  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  was  until  very  recently  in  apparently  vigorous 
condition.  It  did  not  show  the  attack  either  by  a  plant-louse  (presum- 
ably a  species  ot'Callipterus),  which  was  found  in  a  central  part  of  the 
city,  nor  the  sapsucker  which  injured  the  trees  in  Delaware  Park.  It 
had  plenty  of  fertilizer  in  the  way  of  manure  water,  etc.,  and  many 
remarked  what  a  beautiful  and  healthy  tree  it  was.  Toward  fall,  how- 
ever, it  began  to  show  signs  of  infestation  by  this  insect  and  upon 
examination  it  was  found  to  be  seriously  affected  in  the  larger  limbs. 

In  the  central  part  of  the  city  our  correspondent  believes  that  this 
plant-louse  has  brought  the  trees  to  a  condition  that  has  subjected  them 
to  the  attack  of  the  birch  borer. 

Reported  occurrence  in  the  ]Yest. — June  11, 1899,  Prof.  F.  C.  Newcombe, 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  wrote  that  what  was 
without  doubt  this  species,  and  which  he  designated  as  the  white-birch 
borer,  had  been  in  that  locality  for  two  or  three  years  and  had  killed 
half  the  white  birches  in  the  city  of  Ann  Arbor. 

Recent  office  observations. — From  samples  of  infested  wood  sent  from 
Buffalo  by  Mr.  Adams  the  following  spring  and  kept  in  a  cool  place  in 
as  near  natural  conditions  as  possible  the  beetles  began  issuing  the 
second  week  of  May.  Possibly  in  a  more  sunny  exposure  they  might 
issue  as  early  as  the  first  week  of  May. 

A  single  parasite  was  reared,  the  chalcidid  Phasgonophora  sulcata 
Westw.  which  began  issuing  about  two  weeks  after  the  adult  beetles 
and  continued  after  they  had  all  issued  from  the  wood. 

This  parasite  has  other  hosts  as  it  has  been  reared  by  the  writer  from 
Japanese  redbud  {Cercis  japonica)  infested  by  Chrysobothris  femorata, 
the  most  likely  host.     Adults  issued  July  8,  Washington,  D.  0. 

AGRILUS  OTIOSUS  SAY:   A  SPECIES  LIKELY  TO  TROVE  TROUBLESOME. 

March  12, 1887,  pieces  of  bark  of  maple  infested  by  the  larvre  of  a 
species  of  Agrilus  were  received  from  Mr.  F.  M.  Webster,  at  that  time 
located  at  Lafayette,  Ind.     Mr.  ^Vebstel•  stated  in  his  accompanying 
11608— No.  22 5 


letter  of  March  10  that  within  a  year  a  whole  row  of  maple  trees  on  a 
street  had  died,  one  after  another,  and  the  trees  were  then  being  dug 
up.  An  investigation  of  the  trees  disclosed  the  presence  of  numerous 
larvae  of  Agrilus,  which  our  correspondent  believed  to  be  the  cause  of 
the  trouble.  In  our  rearing  cages  the  beetles  began  to  issue  April  18, 
continuing  until  the  23d.  The  species  concerned  proved  to  be  Agrilus 
otiosus  Say. 

During  the  spring  of  1893  all  stages  of  this  Agrilus  were  taken  by  the 
writer  in  abundance  on  a  dying  tree  of  the  flowering  dogwood  (Cornus 
jiorida)  growing  in  the  suburbs  of  Washington,  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
Field  observations  began  during  the  first  week  of  May  and  continued 
until  the  end  of  the  month.  May  18  the  majority  of  the  insects  were 
turning  to  imagos,  some  having  developed  at  that  time.  Larva?  taken 
from  the  pupal  chamber  May  6  transformed  to  pupae  on  the  13th  and  to 
imagos  the  28th,  the  duration  of  the  pupal  stage  having  been  fifteen  days. 
The  pupal  cells  were  constructed  in  the  wood  just  beneath  the  bark  and 
at  varying  angles  to  the  grain  of  the  wood,  seldom  at  right  angles, 
though  often  approaching  it.  The  exact  dimensions  of  the  galleries 
and  their  general  character  were  not  observed  at  this  time  further  than 
to  note  that  in  these  respects  the  work  of  this  species  resembled  that  of 
the  two-lined  chestnut  borer,  A.  bilineatus. 

Dogwood  appears  to  be  the  favorite  food  tree  of  this  species,  but  it  is 
probably  a  somewhat  general  feeder.  The  writer  has  reared  the  beetles 
from  butternut  and  redbud  (Gercis  canadensis)  in  June,  and  has  seen 
individuals  sunning  themselves  on  dead  box-elder  under  such  circum- 
stances as  to  lead  to  the  belief  that  this  was  also  a  food  plant;  and 
there  is  record  in  Packard's  Fifth  Report  of  the  United  States  Entomo- 
logical Commission  (p.  376)  of  the  beetles  of  this  species  feeding  on 
freshly  formed  foliage  at  the  tips  of  new  growths  of  locust.  Dr.  Blanch- 
ard,  in  his  list  of  Massachusetts  Buprestidae  (loc.  cit.),  notes  the  common 
occurrence  of  this  species  on  oak  shrubs  in  June  and  July,  and  the  late 
Dr.  John  Hamilton  (Tr.  Amer.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  XXII,  p.  364)  adds  that 
it  breeds  in  oak.  Dr.  A.  D.  Hopkins  states  that  it  "infests  bark  on 
dead  twigs  and  branches  of  hickory  and  black  walnut,"  the  adults  being 
found  from  April  14  to  July  25.  (Bui.  No.32,  W.  Va.  Ag.  Exp.  Sta.,p.l83.) 
The  same  writer  has  mentioned  the  attack  of  some  species  of  Agrilus, 
perhaps  the  one  under  consideration,  on  Cornus  jiorida.  (Insect  Life,  Vol. 
VII,  p.  198.) 

In  the  writer's  experience  it  infests  particularly  the  larger  limbs  of 
its  host  trees. 

THE   TWO-ilNED   CHESTNUT  BORER. 

July  8,  1899,  Mr.  C.  G.  Hatcher,  Macon,  Ga.,  sent  specimens  of  the 
larva  of  what  is  with  little  doubt  Agrilus  bilineatus  Weber,  with  report 
that  it  threatened  the  extermination  of  the  wild  chestnut  trees  on  his 
plantation  in  Crawford  County,  Ga.     Fifty  years  ago,  he  writes,  the 


67 

chestnuts  were  abundant  in  that  section,  but  are  now  on  a  steady  and 
swift  decline.  The  specimens  Bent  wen  token  from  ;i  i.n-'  hit  about 
half  dead  and  very  badly  infested  With  this  borer,  the  leaves  having 
wilted  at  this  time.    The  characteristic  channels  <>f  this  specie 

A  m  ilns  could   be  seen  on  the  trunk    to  ;i  distance  of  about    7  led.  inn 

oing  under  the  bark  across  the  cambium.    Theinsect  appeared  to  kill 

the  trees  about  the  month  of  May,  the  trees  dying  in  a  few    weeks  alter 

attack  (presumably  after  the  emergence  of  the  adults),  the  leaves  look- 
ing as  if  they  had  been  scorched. 

LIST  »>i    sen  iks   and    11IKIK   POOD    PLANTS. 

.(.  ahdiirtiis  Horn. — Observed  by  the  late  1 1.  (J.  Hubbard  and  by  Mr.  B.  A.  Behwsrz 
at  Oracle,  Ariz.,  on  Queroua  arizonioa,  July  7  (unpublished  not.    . 

I.  (ibshrsus  Horn. — Reared  by  Hubbard  and  Behwarz  from  twigs  <>f  Acacia  greggii 
at  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Arizona,  in  May  (unpublished). 

A.  aoutipennit  Mann. — On  foliage  of  oak  shrubs,  June,  duly,  Mass. — Blanchard 
i  Km.  Amer.,  Vol.  V,  p.  32).  A  variety  was  taken  by  Dr.  Blanchard  on  poplar  sprouts 
(Tr.  Am.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  XVIII,  p.  308). 

A.  auxins  Gory. — The  bronze  birch  borer.  Injurious  to  birch  (Betula  dlba,papy- 
r  if  era,  etc.),  and  willow  (Salix  discolor)  and  probably  to  poplar,  June,  July,  central 
and  western  New  York. — See  writer's  article  in  Bui.  No.  18,  n.  s. ,  Div.  Ent.,  pp. 
44-51. 

A.  arcttatw  Say. — Beaten  from  oak,  elm,  and  hazel.— Stromberg,  Can.  Ent.,  Vol. 
XXVI,  ]>.  36.  Var.ooryK  "Ou  the  hazel"  (Corylus  americana),  June,  July,  Mass. — 
Blanch.  (I.e.). 

A.  bilineatua  Weber. — The  two-lined  chestnut  borer.  Injurious  to  living  chestnut 
(Castduca  dtntata)  and  oak  of  several  species,  May-July,  D.  C. — See  articles  by 
writer  in  Bui.  No.  7,  n.  s.,  Div.  Ent.,  pp.  67-75;  Circ. No. 24,  2d  ser.,  pp.  1-8.  Mr. 
Harrington  has  taken  it  upon  beech  and  believes  it  to  infest  that  tree  (Rept.  Ent. 
Soc.  Ont.  1§96,  p.  71). 

A.  couesii  Lee. — "On  Mentzella  nudav  Santa  F<5,  N.  Mex.,  Aug.  3. — T.  I).  A.  Cock- 
erell  (Journ.  N.  Y.  Ent.  Soc.,  p.  150,  Sept.,  1897). 

A.  cuneus  Lee. — Bred  from  Croton  capitatum;  ftlso  occurs  on  Croton  eleagnifolium  in 
Texas. — Schwarz  (unpublished  note). 

A.  difficilis  Gory,  (occidentalis  Uhler). — " Obtained  from  a  species  of  willow," 
Indiana— Uhler  (Proc.  Ac.  Phila.,  Vol.  VII,  p.  416, 1855). 

A.  <genus  Gory. — Infests  locust  (Robinia  pseudacacia),  mining  under  the  bark  and 
twigs  of  the  smaller  branches,  the  beetles  eating  the  leaves. — See  notes  by  writer  in 
Entomologica  Americana,  Vol.  V,  p.  219;  hickory  (Hicoria  alba). — Reared  by  the 
writer  and  others.  Reared  from  Robinia  neomexicana  in  Arizona  by  Hubbard  and 
Schwarz. 

A.  fallax  Say. — Habits  similar  to  egenus.  In  the  National  collection  is  a  series 
from  central  Missouri  labeled  by  Dr.  O.  Lugger  "on  locust,''  and  another  series  from 
Iowa  similarly  labeled  by  the  late  Dr.  C.  V.  Riley.  Among  Divisional  notes  is  one 
of  the  occurrence  of  what  is  stated  to  be  this  species  under  the  bark  of  cottonwood 
in  July.  "Infesting  bark  and  wood  of  dying  branches  on  living  and  dying  hack- 
berry."  (Celtis  occidentalis).— Hopkins  (Bui.  No.  32,  W.  Va.  Ag.  Expt.  Sta.,  p.  184). 
Beaten  from  oak — Stromberg  (1.  c.) 

A.  felix  Horn. — Reared  from  "Palo  verde"  (Parkinsonia  microphylla)  at  Catalina 
Springs,  Ariz. — Hubbard  and  Schwarz  (unpublished  note). 

A.floridanus  Crotch. — Observed  by  Mr.  Schwarz  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  on  Quercus. 

A.  granulatus  Say. — The  Lombardy  poplar  borer.  Injurious. — T.  J.  Burrill  (12th 
Rept.  St.  Ent.  Ills.,  pp.  121, 122;  Fifth  Rept.  U.  S.  Ent.  Com.,  pp.  443,  444).     "Breeds 


68 

in  and  frequents  the  stems  of  partly  dead  alders"  (Alnus)  June-July.  Mass. — 
Blanch.  (1.  c.). 

A.  imbellis  Crotch. — " Occurs  on  Helianthemum  canadense  in  June  to  August. 
Mass." — Blanch.  (1.  c).  Common,  according  to  Mr.  Schwarz,  near  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  meadows. 

A.  impexu8  Horn. — "Occurs  on  the  two  locusts  (Gleditschia  triacanthos  and  Ilob- 
inia  pseudacacia),  July  and  August."     Galesburg,  111. — Stromberg  (I.  c). 

A.  interrupt*!*  Lee. — Probably  breeds  in  oak.  .June,  July,  Mass. — Blanch.  (Ent. 
Amer.,  Vol.  V,  p.  32).  Also  taken  by  the  writer  on  this  tree.  Found  "upon  beech, 
birch,  and  hickory." — Harrington  (Kept.  Ent.  Soc.  Ont.  for  1896,  p.  71). 

A.  httcralis  Say.— According  to  Dr.  Horn,  this  is  the  species  mentioned  in  Blanch- 
ard?s  list  under  the  name  auxins  as  having  been  taken  as  adult  upon  foliage  of  pop- 
lar sprouts.     July,  Mass.  (1.  c). 

A.  lecontei  Saund. — "Not  rare  on  hackberry  (Celtis  occidentalis),  June  and  July." 
Galesburg,  111. — Stromberg  (1.  c).  The  writer  has  observed  it  upon  the  same  tree 
about  Washington,  D.  C,  in  July,  and  Mr.  Schwarz  has  observed  this  species  on 
Celtis  from  Michigan  to  Arizona,  and  believes  it  to  live  on  that  tree  wherever  the 
latter  occurs. 

A.  macer  Lee. — Very  injurious,  according  to  Mr.  Schwarz,  to  Celtis  occidentalis  in 
Texas  (unpublished  note). 

A.  masculinus  Horn. — On  box-elder  (Xegundo  negundo).  July,  Galesburg,  111. — 
Stromberg  (1.  c). 

A.  obsoletoguttatus  Gory. — "Quite  common  on  red  and  laurel  oaks,  June."  Gales- 
burg, 111. — Stromberg  (1.  c). 

A.ornatulus  Horn. — Breeds  in  huisache  (Acacia  farnesiana)  in  Texas. — Schwarz 
(unpublished  note). 

A.otiosus  Say. — Attacks  and  is  likely  to  prove  injurious  to  maple,  dogwood  (Cor- 
nusflorida),  redbud  (Cercis  canadensis),  hickory  (Hicoria  spp.),  black  walnut  (Juglans 
nigra),  and  probably  also  infests  butternut,  box-elder,  oak,  and  perhaps  locust. 
May- July  (ante). 

A.palmacollis  Horn. — Reared  from  twigs  and  branches  of  mesquite  (Prosopis  juli- 
flora)  and  huisache  (Acacia  farnesiana)  collected  by  Mr.  Schwarz  at  San  Diego  and 
Brownsville,  Tex. 

A.  politus  Say. — "  Infests  green  bark  on  living  willow  trees.  May  be  the  primary 
cause  of  death  of  young  trees."  June,  W.  Va. — Hopk.  (1.  c).  "Common,  on  Salix 
obtusifolia,  June,"  Pa. — Hamilton  (1.  c).  Also  observed  by  Dr.  Blanchard  (1.  c.)  and 
the  writer  on  willow.     On  hazel. — Bruner  (unpublished  note). 

A.pulchellus  Blanch. — Breeds  in  roots  of  Erigeron  in  Arizona. — Hubbard  and 
Schwarz  (unpublished  note). 

A.  ritfcollis  Fab. — The  raspberry  gouty-gall  beetle;  red-necked  cane  borer.  Inju- 
rious to  raspberry,  blackberry,  and  dewberry  (Rubus  spp.)  June  and  July. — Various 
writers. 

A.8citulus  Horn. — Reared  by  Mr.  Schwarz  from  huisache  (Acacia  farnesiana)  at  San 
Diego,  Tex. — Unpublished. 

A  sinuatus,  01. — The  sinuate  pear  borer. — Injurious  to  pear  trees  in  New  Jersey. 
May,  June.— J.  B.  Smith  (15th  Rept.  X.  J.  Agl.  Expt.  Sta.  for  1894, pp.  550-561,  etc.); 
Riley  and  Howard  (Insect  Life,  Vol.  VII,  pp.  258-260).  In  Europe  attacks  also  white 
thorn,  medlar,  and  mountain  ash  (1.  c,  p.  556). 

A.  vittaticollis  Rand. — "Taken  occasionally  in  June  feeding  on  the  leaves  of  thorn 
(Crataegus),  shad  bush  (Amelauchier)  and  ehokeberry  (Pyrus  arbutifolia).  Mass." — 
Blanch.  (1.  c).  "Seems  to  live  on  the  shad  berry  (Amelanchier  canadensis)." — E.  P. 
Austin  (Pr.  Bos.  Soc.  N.  H.,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  276, 1875).  "Rare,  on  Kalmia  and  chest- 
nut."— Hamilton  (I.e.). 

Agrilus  sp. — Lives  in  stems  of  Jatropha  multijida,  Catalina  Springs,  Ariz. — Hubbard 
and  Schwarz  (unpublished  note). 


69 

EXPERIMENTS  WITH  HYDROCYANIC-ACID  GAS  AS  A  MEANS  OF 
EXTERMINATING  MEALY  BUGS  AND  OTHER  INSECT  PESTS  IN 
GREENHOUSES. ' 

By   II.   1».   ili'Mi  \\\  \N  ,     l«A< 

I  in     i    -i  A!     UBTHOD. 

Hydrocyanic-acid  gas  has  betel  known  and  used  In  the  West  for  fami 
gatioD  of  nursery  stock  and  trees  infested  with  scale  since  its  introduc 
tion  by  the  Division  of  Entomology  of  the  CTnited  State-  Department 
of  Agriculture  in  1886,  We  have  uo  record  of  its  being  used  in  green- 
houses until  L895j  when,  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Woods  and 
Dorsett,  of  the  Department,  it  was  used  successfully  on  ferns,  colons, 
and  in  violet  houses  tor  the  destruction  of  scales,  mealy  bugs,  and 
aphides  or  plant-lice.2  It  has  been  used  to  a  Limited  extent  since 
that  time,  but  not,  as  a  rule,  in  fumigating  greenhouse  stock  in  general. 
For  many  years  in  the  large  greenhouses  connected  with  the  .Mas 
saehusetts  Agricultural  College,  great  expense  has  been  incurred  in 
destroying  mealy  bugs  and  scale  iuseets  on  the  viues,  palms,  orange 
trees,  acacias,  etc.,  and  after  a  thorough  trial  of  fir-tree  oil,  lemon  oil, 
and  other  insecticides,  many  of  which  proved  of  some  value,  but  were 
not  wholly  satisfactory,  it  was  decided  to  try  hydrocyanic-acid  gas,  the 
most  powerful  insecticide  known.  As  the  common  mealy  bugs  known 
in  every  old  greenhouse  are  very  prolific  breeders,  each  female  averag- 
ing 400  eggs,  and  with  a  prospect  of  a  new  generation  every  six  weeks, 
it  became  apparent  that  if  we  wished  to  keep  plants  in  good  condition 
we  must  exercise  constant  vigilance  or  occasionally  resort  to  some 
heroic  measure. 

After  several  preliminary  experiments  with  some  of  the  more  deli- 
cate plants  in  a  wooden  box  the  stove  and  cactus  rooms  were  fumigated 
at  the  same  time,  the  connecting  doors  between  the  two  rooms  having 
been  opened.  Many  of  the  cacti  were  infested  with  the  common  cactus 
scale  {Diaspis  cacti),  while  in  the  stove  room  all  through  the  twining 
vines  was  to  be  seen  the  tlocculent  network  of  white,  waxy  threads  pro- 
tecting the  eggs  and  youug  mealy  bugs. 

1  The  manuscript  of  this  paper  was  submitted  to  the  Division  of  Vegetable  Physi- 
ology and  Pathology  of  this  Department  and  kindly  examined  by  Messrs.  Galloway, 
Woods,  and  Dorsett,  all  practical  violet  growers  and  the  perfecters  of  the  hydrocy- 
anic-acid gas  method  as  far  as  it  relates  to  the  treatment  of  insects  in  greenhona  B. 
They  point  out  that  while  the  results  obtained   by  Mr.  Hemenway  may  hold 

for  the  conditions  under  which  the  trials  were  made,  they  will  not  necessarily  do  so 
in  a  different  environment,  since  it  has  been  found  in  practice  that  a  certain  kind  of 
plant  will  be  injured  at  one  time  in  one  section  of  the  country  and  will  show  no 
signs  of  injury  at  another  time  in  the  same  sectiou  or  in  some  other  locality.  In 
other  words,  it  would  not  be  safe  to  use  the  gas  on  the  same  varieties  of  plants  in 
other  sections  on  the  evidence  furnished  by  these  experiments. — Ed. 

2  Circular  No.  37,  Division  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 


70 
The  materials  used  in  fumigating  were  as  follows 

TRIAL   I. 


Cactus  room.. 
Stove  room... 


Cubic  feet 
space. 


7,  076. 25 
7, 357. 31 


Amount 

potassium 

cyanide 

used. 


Water. 


Oz. 

uo 

40 


Oz. 
40 
40 


Sulphuric 
acid. 


O:. 
70 

7U 


Result. 


Min 

Xo  injury... 
30  do 


Date. 


Xov.     9, 1897 


1 98  to  99  per  cent  pure. 

Ordinary  glazed  earthen  jars,  holding  2  gallons  each,  were  first 
placed  in  position.  The  potassium  cyanide  (40  ozs.)  for  each  room 
was  tied  in  double  thickness  of  paper  and  suspended  by  means  of  a 
string  playing  over  a  support  directly  over  the  jars.  This  string  was 
held  by  an  attendant  at  the  door.  The  water  was  put  into  the  jars 
and  then  the  acid.  The  cyanide  was  then  lowered  into  the  jars,  the 
door  being  immediately  closed.  The  room  remained  closed  for  thirty 
minutes  and  then  the  ventilators,  which  had  been  previously  prepared, 
were  opened  from  the  outside.  The  temperature  of  the  house  was 
about  G0°  F.  The  conditions  of  the  weather  were  perfect  for  such  a 
test,  as  it  was  raining,  the  water  filling  the  cracks  in  the  house,  and 
thus  preventing  the  escape  of  the  gas.  It  was  also  warm  outside,  so 
the  house  was  not  cooled  too  low  while  the  ventilators  were  open,  and 
it  was  perfectly  dark.  The  ventilators  were  left  open  for  over  an  hour 
and  then  closed  for  the  night. 

Results. — The  room  contained  many  different  kinds  of  cacti,  begonias 
in  variety,  passifloras,  allamandas,  bananas  in  fruit,  ferns,  palms,  and 
a  large  variety  of  general  stove  plants.  Not  only  were  the  mealy  bugs, 
scales,  and  aphides  destroyed,  but  a  large  per  cent  of  the  sow-bugs 
were  found  dead  on  the  walks  and  under  the  moss  which  carpets  the 
floor  of  the  solid  bed  in  the  stove  room.  Even  the  earthworms  on  the 
surface  of  the  soil  under  the  moss  were  dead. 

After  this  many  experiments  were  made  with  different  plants  and 
insects  put  in  a  glass  box  containing  about  42  cu.  ft.  of  space;  also 
several  practical  tests  were  made  in  the  greenhouse1  (see  table). 

TRIAL   II. 


This  was  in  a  house  containing  22,729  cu.  ft.  of  space,  using  1  oz.  potas- 
sium cyanide  to  every  285  cu.  ft.,  with  If  oz.  sulphuric  acid  and  1  oz.  of 
water.  This  house  contained  carnations,  smilax,  violets,  coleus,  chrys- 
anthemums, small  lettuce,  cuttings,  and  small  plants  of  bedded  stock. 
It  was  infested  with  the  common  mealy  bugs  (Dactylopius  destructor), 
green  fly,  and  the  white-tailed  mealy  bugs  (Orthezia  insignis).  It  was 
fumigated  for  30  minutes  upon  a  cloudy  morning,  yet  in  daylight.     The 


1  It  is  to  he  regretted  that  no 
the  plants. — l.  o.  h. 


notes  were  kept  on  the  effect  of  this  treatment  on 


71 

insects  were  mostly  killed;  but  some  <>i  the  plants  were  badly  Injured. 
This  was  especially  ti  ne  in  case  of  tbe  Bmilax,  t  be  upper  leave  i  of  I  be 

carnations,  ami  the  lettuce.      .Much  Of  the  latter,  which  was  Verj    -mall 

and  in  full  light,  was  killed,  while  some  that  w;i^  shaded  Bhowed  much 
less  injury.  The  smiln\  ami  earnnt  ions  recovered  in  tunc,  hut  received 
a  severe  Check.      As  will  DC  seen  later,  smila\  and  more  delicate  plants 

bave  been  subjected  to  doable  the  strength  of  gas  in  darkness  without 
injury. 

I  A  I   KKIMl    \  I     I. 

Conditions. — Made  Nov. 27,  L 897, in  sunlight,  in  a  glass  l><>\  contain- 
ing  nearly  42  cu.  ft.  The  following  proportions  were  used:  2.1  .mams 
(l  oz. cyanide  of  potassium  to  570  ft.)  of  potassium  cyanide,  liberated 
with  2.1  "  water  and  2.1  °«  sulphuric  acid:  temperature  of  box,  63°  F.j 
plants  treated  were  Asparagus  plumosus,  veronicas,  roses,  cinerarias, 
begonias,  and  chrysanthemums;  the  insects  upon  these  plants  were 
mealybug,  "green  fly,"  scale,  and  Fuller's  rose  beetle  (Aramigus  fuller i); 
there  were  2  plants  each  of  smilax  and  roses,  one  sprinkled  with 
water,  the  other  dry.     The  box  was  closed  for  30  minutes. 

Results. — Some  of  the  green  tiies  commenced  to  drop  in  three  minutes. 
There  was  no  apparent  injury  at  close  of  fumigation,  but  December  2 
nearly  all  plants  showed  some  injury.  Most  of  the  insects  were  killed, 
but  the  rose  beetles  were  not  much  injured. 

EXPERIMENT   II. 

Conditions. — Made  November  27,  1897,  in  same  glass  box;  in  dark 
ness;  potassium  cyanide  used,  1  oz.  to  285  cu.  ft.,  with  same  proportions 
of  acid  and  water  as  before;  temperature  55°  F. ;  time  fumigated, 
25  minutes;  plants  used:  2  genistas,  2  cupheas,  2  veronicas,  and  2 
coleus;  insects:  mealy  bug,  green  fly,  white  tailed  mealy  bug,  scales 
(Aspidiotus  rapax  and  A.  ficus). 

Results. — All  insects  dead;  no  injury  to  any  of  the  plants.  A  com- 
parison of  these  two  experiments  shows  that  the  first  lot  treated  in 
sunlight  were  all  injured  while  those  treated  in  darkness  with  double 
the  strength  of  hydrocyanic  acid  gas  were  uninjured. 

EXPERIMENT  III. 

Conditions. — Made  November  28;  glass  box;  dark;  potassium  cyan- 
ide used,  1  oz.  to  190  cu.  ft.,  with  1  oz.  water  and  lj  oz.  sulphuric  acid 
(see  table);  temperature,  47°  F. ;  time  fumigated,  20  minutes;  plants: 
calln,  ferns,  cineraria,  genista,  cuphea,  camphor  tree;  insects:  scale, 
rose  beetles,  mealy  bug,  and  aphis. 

Results. — All  insects  excepting  rose  beetles  killed;  no  plants  injured. 

EXPERIMENT    IV. 

Conditions. — Made  November  29,  1897;  glass  box;  darkness;  potas- 
sium cyanide  and  conditions  same  as  in  No.  Ill  (see  table);  time 
fumigated,  20  minutes.  In  this  experiment  an  attempt  was  made  to 
watch  the  effects  on  Fuller's  rose  beetle. 


72 

Results, — In  5J  minutes  after  fumigation  commenced  beetles  on  the 
plants  dropped,  and  those  on  the  surface  rolled  over  and  drew  them- 
selves together,  apparently  dead.  About  one  hour  after  fumigation 
they  all  recovered. 

EXPERIMENT   V. 

Conditions. — Glass  box;  darkness;  same  as  above  except  that  time 
of  exposure  was  25  minutes. 
Results. — Same  as  in  No.  IV. 

EXPERIMENT   VI. 

Conditions. — Made  November  29,  1897;  darkness;  1  oz.  potassium 
cyanide,  1  oz.  water,  If  oz.  acid  to  142  cu.  ft.  (see  table);  plants:  cine- 
rarias (1  sprinkled  with  water,  1  dry),  smilax  (1  sprinkled,  1  dry), 
ferns;  insects:  rose  beetles;  time,  25  minutes. 

Results. — Plants  not  at  all  injured;  nearly  all  beetles  killed. 

To  destroy  the  rose  beetle  it  will  probably  be  better  to  use  less 
strength  of  gas  and  place  sheets  of  paper  or  canvas  beneath  the  plant 
infested,  than  to  use  the  larger  percentage  of  cyanide,  as  they  are  sure 
to  drop  off  when  the  house  is  fumigated  with  sufficient  strength  of  the 
gas  to  kill  mealy  bugs.    They  can  then  be  gathered  up  and  destroyed. 

TRIAL  III. 

Conditions. — Date,  November  27,  1897 ;  place,  rose  room ;  1  oz.  potas- 
sium cyanide,  If  oz.  acid,  and  1  oz.  water  to  570  cu. ft.;  room  contained 
only  roses,  the  new  shoots  being  covered  with  green  try;  length  of  time 
fumigated  25  minutes  (see  table). 

Results. — All  aphides  were  killed,  but  the  tender  buds  and  leaves  of 
the  plants  were  injured. 

TRIAL  IV. 

Conditions. — Time,  November  29,  1897;  place,  octagon  room;  1  oz. 
potassium  cyanide,  1  oz.  water,  1  oz.  sulphuric  acid  to  175  cu.  ft. 
(see  table).  In  this  room,  containing  25,689  cu.  ft.  of  space,  three  jars 
were  used  with  49  oz.  of  cyanide  to  each  jar.  In  this  room  was  a  large 
number  of  tropical  plants,  trees,  and  ferns.  It  was  very  badly  infested 
with  mealy  bugs  and  scale,  beetles,  and  aphides. 

Results. — Very  satisfactory;  many  of  the  beetles  dropped  on  the 
walk  and  died.  The  only  injury  noted  on  December  20  was  on  the 
climbing  Perle  des  Jardins  rose,  but  this  was  not  serious.  The  tree 
fern,  which  was  very  badly  infested  with  mealy  bugs,  has  sent  out  several 
new  fronds.  The  manettia  vine,  which  had  its  growth  checked  by  mealy 
bugs,  now  has  long  growing  shoots  and  is  covered  with  blossoms.  In 
fact,  all  the  plants  in  this  room  have  made  new  and  decided  growth. 

trial  v. 

Conditions. — Place,  camellia  room;  1  oz.  potassium  cyanide,  2  oz. 
water,  and   1   oz.  sulphuric  acid   to  190  cu.  ft.  (see  table);  insects 


7:; 

present  wove  aphis,  raealj  bug,  white- tailed  mealy  bag,  scale  in  i 
in  this  room  was  .1  collection  of  cool  bouse  plants,     a  difference  In  the 
proportions  of  water,  acid,  and  cyanide  wi\\  bere  be  noticed. 

Results. — In  the  previous  experiments  it  wras  found  thai  although 
there  was  always  an  excess  of  acid  present,  some  of  the  hydrocyanic 
acid  was  not  liberated,  owing  t<>  the  fact,  probably,  thai  potassium  buI 
phate  \kis  formed  ami  became  crystallized  upon  the  surface  before  all 
the  potassium  cj  anide  below  was  reached  i»\  t  lie  acid.     For  this  re. i  son 

more  water  was  added  to  hold  t  he  potassium  Sulphate  in  solution  longer. 

In  this  trial,  however,  there  proved  to  be  too  little  sulphuric  arid  to  gen- 
erate heat  enough  to  rapidly  liberate  the  gas,  and  heme  some  of  the 

potassium  cyanide  was  not   decomposed  at    the   end  of  the  fumigation. 

ruder  these  circumstances  this  trial  was  not  wholly  successful,  as  only 
the  aphides  were  killed. 

TRIAL   YI. 

Conditions. — Place,  camellia  room;  1  oz.  potassium  cyanide,  l2  oz. 
water,  and  U  oz.  sulphuric  acid  to  190  ft.  of  space  (see  table). 

Results. — This  trial  was  satisfactory,  as  no  plants  were  injured  and 
all  insects  were  killed  with  the  exception  of  the  rose  beetle. 

THE    " DILUTE    METHOD77    OF     USING     HYDROCYANIC- ACID    GAS    FOR 
FUMIGATING   GREENHOUSES.1 

Last  year  we  worked  with  what  1  am  going  to  call  the  concentrated 
method  of  using  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  with  results  as  previously 
shown — some  satisfactory,  some  unsatisfactory. 

The  following  wUl  show  the  results  of  the  "dilute  method"  of  using 
the  gas  for  fumigating  greenhouses. 

TRIAL   I. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  17,  1899;  place,  camellia  room;  1  oz. 
potassium  cyanide,  1£  oz.  sulphuric  acid,  and  2  oz.  water  to  every  3,000 
cu.  ft.  In  this  room,  containing  6,196  cu.  ft.  of  space,  2.06  oz.  cyanide 
of  potash,  4  oz.  water,  and  3  oz.  sulphuric  acid  were  used.  It  was 
fumigated  at  night  about  6  o'clock,  the  room  remaining  closed  until 
morning.  The  following  insects  were  present:  green  fly,  mealy  bug. 
Fuller's  rose  beetle.  The  plants  in  this  room  at  the  time  of  fumiga- 
tion were,  coleus,  azaleas  in  bloom,  heliotrope,  ferns,  hoya,  jasminums. 
polygala,  hibiscus,  ericas,  orange  trees,  camellias,  cinerarias,  oxalis. 
The  temperature  went  below  50°  F. 

Ji'esults. — Upon  examination  it  was  found  that  no  plants  were  injured, 
and  none  of  the  insects  save  a  part  of  the  green  hies. 


xSee  article  by  Dr.  J.  Fisher,  American  Gardening,  October  29,  1898,  and  Circular 
37,  before  cited. 


74 

TRIAL   II. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  17,  181,9;  place,  stove  room;  1  oz.  potas- 
sium cyauide  to  3,000  cu.  ft.;  in  this  room,  containing  7,357.31  cu.  ft.  of 
space,  2.45  oz.  potassium  cyanide,  5  oz.  water,  and  3J  oz.  sulphuric  acid 
were  used;  the  room  fumigated  after  dark,  remaining  closed  until  morn- 
ing; insects  present  were  mealy  bug,  green  fly  in  abundance,  and  Fuller's 
rose  beetle ;  plants  present :  Grevillias,  ferns,  dracamas,  palms,  bananas, 
pandanas,  strelitzia,  begonias  in  variety,  mahernias,  passifloras,  Hoff- 
mannias,  allamanda,  ivy,  sansevieria,  aristolochia,  agaves,  heliotrope, 
cinerarias,  callas,  roses,  etc. ;  temperature,  about  50°  F.,  or  a  little  above. 

Besults. — Upon  examination  it  was  found  no  plants  save  the  tender 
leaves  of  the  roses  were  injured,  while  the  aphides  on  the  Hoffmannia 
and  elsewhere  were  killed.   The  other  insects  were  apparently  uninjured. 

TRIAL   III. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  20, 1899;  place,  camellia  room;  all  night; 
1  oz.  cyanide  of  potash  to  each  2,000  cu.  ft. ;  3.09  oz.  potash  cyanide, 
6.2  oz.  water,  and  4.6  oz.  sulphuric  acid  used;  insects  present:  aphides, 
mealy  bugs,  Fuller's  rose  beetle;  plants  same  as  in  Trial  I. 

Besults. — Aphides  all  killed  and  a  part  of  the  mealy  bugs;  none  of 
the  older  ones,  however;  no  plants  injured. 

TRIAL   IV. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  20,  1899;  place,  stove  room;  all  night; 
1  oz.  potassium  cyanide  to  each  2,000  cu.  ft.;  3.7  oz.  potash  cyanide, 
7.4  oz.  water,  and  5.5  oz.  of  sulphuric  acid  required;  plants  same  as  in 
Trial  II,  except  roses;  insects:  mealy  bugs  and  Fuller's  rose  beetle. 

Besults. — Part  of  mealy  bugs  killed;  old  ones  not  killed;  no  plants 
injured. 

trial  v. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  23,  1899;  place,  camellia  room;  1  oz. 
potassium  cyanide  to  1,000  cu.  ft.;  left  in  all  night;  6.2  oz.  potash 
cvanide,  12.5  oz.  water,  and  9.1  oz.  sulphuric  acid;  the  room  was  warmer 
than  at  other  times,  the  temperature  being  over  50°  F. 

Besults. — In  afternoon  of  January  24,  25  or  more  mealy  bugs  were 
examined  with  a  lens  and  all  were  dead.  No  injury  to  any  of  the 
plants  was  seen.  At  this  fumigation  there  wTas  no  heliotrope  or  coleus. 
The  other  plants,  including  carnations,  were  the  same  as  in  Trial  I. 

TRrAL   VI. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  23,  1899 ;  place,  lily  room;  1  oz.  potash 
cyanide  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft.;  left  in  all  night;  1.76  oz.  potash  cyanide, 
3.56  oz.  wrater,  and  2.64  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature,  60°  F. 
or  over;  plants  present,  philodendrons,  water  lilies  (JSyinplneas),  parrot's 


feather  (Myriophyllum  proMrpinacouUs),  water  hyacinth  (Eickkomia 
crassipes  major))  water  poppy  Limnoeharis  humboldti),  ('munis  aUerni 
folins,  Papyrus  antiquorum^  oxalis,  orchids  in   variety,  i  ill. is. 

ferns,  New  /calami  flax,  eobaeas,  oaladiums,  etc. 

Results. —  Upon  examination  the  next  day  aphides  were  Grand  all 
dead,  although  as  yet  not  discolored,  aud  remaining  in  then  placet. 
()f  11  mealy  bogs  examined,  6  were  dead  and  5  alive!    There  was  no 

injury   to  any   plant,  except    to   the  young   foliage  of  tin'   roses,  which 

was  burned. 

TRIAL    VII. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  28,  L899;  place,  second  octagon  room:  all 

night  ;  1  OZ.  of  potash  cyanide  to  each  3,000  en.  It. ;  8.56  OZ.  of  potassium 
cyanide,  L7.12  oz,  water,  and  12.84 oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  insects: 
aphides,  mealy  bugs,  and  beetles:  plants  present:  ferns,  callas,  palms 
in  variety,  agaves,  aspidistras,  marantas,  guavas,  jasminums,  loquat, 
durantas,  ficus,  manettias,  pleromas,  bananas,  cordylines,  yuccas, 
Solanum  jasminoides,  Cherokee  and  climbing  perle  roses,  bamboo, 
abutilons,  cytisus,  etc. 

Results. — Aphides  were  killed.  On  January  31,  three  days  after 
fumigating,  the  only  injury  to  plants  was  the  burning  of  the  tender 
leaves  on  the  climbing  perle  rose,  the  tender  leaves  of  the  Solanum  jas- 
minoides,  which  wras  just  starting  into  growth,  and  the  new  fast-growing 
shoots  of  Asparagus  tenuissimus.  The  tender  leaves  of  the  Cherokee 
rose  were  slightly  burned.  Almost  none  of  the  bugs  (at  least  none  of 
the  old  ones)  were  killed ;  of  10  examined,  at  least  9  were  alive;  the 
temperature  was  rather  low,  however. 

TRIAL   VIII. 

Conditions. — Date,  January  28,1899;  pface,  first  octagon  room;  all 
night;  1  oz.  potassium  cyanide  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft.;  9.44  oz.  cyanide  of 
potash,  18.88  oz.  water,  and  14.16  oz.  sulphuric  acid  used ;  insects :  aphi- 
des and  mealybugs;  plants  present:  asparagus  (phtmosus,  spreiujeri, 
and  tenuissimus),  palms,  vincas,  ferns,  mosses,  dracsenas,  eupatoriums, 
iponueas,  ficus  (elastica  and  religiosa),  cytisus,  begonias,  marantas, 
niauettia,  aspidistras,  cyperus,  etc.;  the  temperature  was  below  55°  F. 

Results. — Aphides  were  killed;  but  of  50  mealy  bugs  examined, 
mostly  adults,  however,  only  8  were  killed.  No  plants  were  injured, 
with  the  exception  of  the  asparagus,  which  was  sending  out  new  and 
very  tender  growth. 

TRIAL    IX. 

Conditions. — Date,  February  15,  10,  and  17,  1899;  place,  second  octa 
gon  room ;  left  in  all  night  3  nights  in  succession;  1  oz.  cyanide  of  potash 
to  each  3,000  cu.  ft.;  8.5  oz.  cyanide  of  potash,  17  oz.  water,  and  13  oz. 
sulphuric  acid  used  each  night;  temperature  averaged  about  50°  F.; 
the  insects  for  which  this  trial  was  made  were  mealy  bugs. 


76 

Results. — On  the  morning  of  the  16th  our  eat  was  found  dead  upon 
the  walk  near  the  entrance.  She  had  evidently  walked  in  the  open 
door  the  night  before,  when  1  went  in  with  the  cyanide,  and  must  have 
been  killed  in  a  short  time.  On  the  18th  25  mealybugs  were  examined 
with  a  lens  and  18  were  found  dead;  but  this  is  not  a  correct  percent- 
age of  those  killed,  for  many  of  the  dead  ones  on  the  plants  were 
washed  off  by  syringing  the  house  previous  to  examination.  The 
climbing  roses,  the  tender  leaves  of  the  Solatium  jasminoides,  the  new 
leaf  buds  of  Pleroma  macranthum,  the  new  fronds  of  Pteris  trcmula, 
and  the  new  shoots  of  Asparagus  tenuissimus  were  all  more  or  less 
injured.     The  other  plants  showed  no  injury. 

TRIAL   x. 

Conditions. — Date,  February  15,  1899;  place,  stove  room;  left  in  all 
night;  1  oz.  potash  cyanide  to  each  2,000  cu.  ft.;  3.7  oz.  potash  cyanide, 
7.4  oz.  water,  and  5.5  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature,  55°  to 
60°  F. ;  insects:  mealy  bugs  and  aphides. 

Results. — In  this  room  there  was  no  injury  to  plants;  all  of  the 
aphides  were  killed,  and  all  mealy  bugs  examined  were  dead.  This 
house  was  also  fumigated  with  the  same  proportions  on  January  27. 

TRIAL   XL 

Conditions. — Date,  February  16,  1899;  place,  vegetable  house,  west; 
1  oz.  potash  cyanide  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night;  temperature, 
56°  F.;  2  oz.  cyanide  of  potash,  4  oz.  water,  and  3  oz.  sulphuric  acid 
required;  insects:  an  abundance  of  " green  fly'1;  plants  present:  let- 
tuce, radishes,  papyrus,  smilax,  cinerarias,  kale.  The  lettuce  and  cin- 
erarias were  badly  covered  with  "green  fly." 

Results. — All  or  nearly  all  "green  fly"  killed,  even  under  the  lower 
leaves  of  the  lettuce,  which  had  commence  to  head.  There  was  no 
injury  to  plants. 

TRIAL   XII. 

Conditions. — Date,  February  23,  1899;  place,  the  pit;  1  oz.  cyanide 
of  potash  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night;  3  oz.  cyanide  of  potash,  6 
oz.  water,  4.J  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature,  47°  F.;  insects 
present:  mealy  bugs  and  "green  fly";  plants:  cinerarias,  calceolarias, 
pelargoniums,  geraniums,  muehleubergia,  eupatoriums,  nasturtiums, 
clematis,  etc. 

Results. — The  aphides  were  nearly  all  killed,  while  the  mealy  bugs, 
the  older  ones  at  least,  were  not  injured.    There  was  no  injury  to  plants. 

TRIAL   XIII. 

Conditions. — Date,  February  28,  1899;  place,  camellia  room;  1  oz. 
cyanide  of  potash  to  each  1,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night;  temperature,  50° 
F. ;  G  oz.  cyanide  of  potash,  12  oz.  water,  9  oz.  sulphuric  acid  used ;  plants 


77 

present:  carnations,  figs,  pomegranates,  orai 
chrysanthemums,  Saxifraga  iarmmto*ay  polygala,  liardj  cuttta 
insects:  several  hundred   mealj   bugs  from  vinca  vines  were  picked, 
placed  in  a  Bhoe  box  cover,  ami  put  in  this  room  just   before  I'ii in : 
Ing  it. 

/»' 'cs nits.-  -Over  80  Of  t  he  mealy  bugs  in  t  lie  DOS  eo\ei    weir  e\ ;i mined 

with  a  lens,  but   none  of  them  were  alive.     N<>  live  ones  were  found 
anywhere  in  the  room.    The  leaves  of  the  figs  and  pomegi  anates,  w  hich 
were  just  beginning  to  come  out,  were  injured.    Some  of  the  fig  le 
that  were  partly  formed  dropped.    The  other  plants  were  uninjured, 
excepting  the  tender  veronicas. 

TRIAL    \IV. 

Conditions. — Date,  February  28  and  March  2,  1899;  place,  the  pit ;  1 

oz.  cyanide  of  potash  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night;  •">  ox.  cyanide 
of  potash,  0  oz.  water,  and  44  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  tempera- 
ture, 54°  F. 

Results. — At  the  first  fumigation, February 28, most  of  the  "green  fly" 

were  killed,  but  not  all,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  jar  used  in  fumigating 
was  too  large,  and  the  cyanide  was  not  all  immersed.  On  .March  2  a 
smaller  dish  was  used.  There  was  no  injury  to  plants  in  either  case. 
The  "green  fly"  were  all  killed  the  second  time. 

TRIAL  xv. 

Conditions. — Date,  March  1,  1899;  place,  vegetable  house,  complete; 
1  oz.  cyanide  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft.;  left  in  all  night;  4  oz.  cyanide,  8  oz. 
water,  6  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature  average,  45°  F.; 
insects:  "greenfly7';  plants:  headed  to  heading  lettuce  and  small  let- 
tuce, small  cabbages,  parsley,  old  smilax,  papyrus,  hibiscus,  strawber- 
ries, radishes,  kale,  and  Bellis  perennis. 

Eesults. — In  this  trial  the  jar  was  too  large  and  the  liquid  did  not 
cover  the  cyanide,  some  remaining  undecoinposed  until  morning.  The 
"green  fly"  were,  however,  nearly  all  killed.  There  was  no  injury  to 
any  plant. 

TRIAL  xvi. 

Conditions. — Date,  March  2,  1899;  place,  cactus  room;  1  oz.  cyanide 
to  each  2,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night;  3.5  oz.  of  cyanide,  7  oz.  water,  5.3  oz. 
sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature,  58°  F.;  insects:  mealy  bugs, 
"green  fly";  plants:  agaves,  cacti,  cinerarias,  pereskia,  begonia-. 
mahernias,  asparagus,  vincas,  calceolarias,  doryanthes,  ferns,  oxalis, 
acacias,  cyclamen,  clematis,  etc. 

Eesults. — In  the  morning  there  was  a  stronger  odor  than  usual  in  the 
house.  The  "green  fly"  were  killed.  Of  10  mealy  bugs  examined 
6  were  dead,  the  larger  ones  being  the  ones  alive,  as  a  rule.  The  only 
injury  to  plants  was  on  the  marguerites:  a  part  of  the  blossom  buds 
were  burned  just  below  the  bud,  causing  the  buds  to  droop. 


78 

TRIAL    XVII. 

Conditions. — Date,  March  2,  1899;  place,  second  octagon  room;  1  oz. 
cyanide  to  each  3,000  cu.  ft. ;  left  in  all  night ;  8.5  oz.  cyanide,  17  oz.  water, 
and  13  oz.  sulphuric  acid  used;  temperature,  57°  F.;  insects:  "green 
fly  "  and  mealy  bug.  It  was  found  that  a  large  number  of  mealy  bugs 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  fumigation  of  February  15,  16,  and  17,  but 
some  remained. 

Results. — "  Green  fly"  all  killed.  Of  10  mealy  bugs  examined  7  were 
dead.  It  is  possible  that  a  part  of  this  number  remained  on  the  plant, 
dead  from  the  previous  fumigation.  The  younger  ones  were  the  ones 
generally  killed.     The  roses  and  solanum  were  injured  as  usual. 

TRIAL   XVIII. 

Conditions. — Date,  March  1',  1899;  place,  first  octagon;  1  oz.  cyanide 
to  each  3,000  cu.  ft.;  left  in  all  night;  9.5  oz.  cyanide,  19  oz.  water,  and 
14.2  oz.  sulphuric  acid  required;  temperature,  53°  F.;  insects:  mealy 
bugs;  plants:  palms,  veronicas,  cytisus  in  bloom,  oxalis,  asparagus, 
cyperus,  ficus,  oranges,  mahernia,  vincas,  cupheas,  Spiraea  japonica, 
marantas,  etc. 


Number. 

House. 

Date.       Time,     temper- 

Condition.           Sparc 

Tnal  I 

Min.   !      °  F. 
Nov.     9 

Raining 

do 

Daylight  ... 

Sunlight 

Darkness  . . . 

do 

do  . . . 

Cubic  feet. 

30 
30 
30 

60 

7  357  31 

Trial  II 

22  729 

Experiment  1.. 

Nov.  27 
do  ... 

fi3 

4-) 

do 

25                 55 

42 

Experiment3. . 

do 

Nov.  28 
Nov.  29 
....do  ... 

20 
20 
25 
25 
30 
25 
30 
30 
30 

47 

4° 

do 

42 

do 

47 
45 

do 

do 

42 

...do 

...do  . 

42 

do 

42 

Trial  III 

Nov.  27 

Nov.  29 

Dec.     4 

do 

63 

60 

Darkness  . . . 

do 

do 

4,  894.  37 

Trial  IV 

25  689 

Trial  V 

6.  196 

Trial  VI 

do 

55-60 

do 

6,196 

Number. 

Rate,l 
ounce  to- 

Potash 
cyanid<\ 

Water. 

Acid. 

Results. 

Trial  I 

Feet. 

Ounces. 

'40 

40 

80 

Grains. 

2.1 

4.2 

6.3 

6.3 
6.3 

8.4 

0.3 

Ounces. 

80.3 

147 

34 

37 

Ounces. 
40 
40 
80 

a  c 

2.1 
4.2 
6.3 

6.3 
6.3 
8.4 

12.6 
Ounces. 
86.3 
147 
68 
68 

Ounces. 

70 

70 

120 

C.  c. 

2.1 

4.2 

6.3 

6.3 
6.3 

8.4 

9.45 

Ounces. 

152 

147 

34 

51 

Insects  killed  ;  no  injury  to  plants. 
Do. 

Trial  II 

285 

570 
285 
190 

190 
190 
142 

190 

570 
175 
190 
190 

Plants  injured;  insects  killed. 

Insects  mostly  dead ;  all  plants  injured. 
Insects  killed;  uo  injury  to  plants. 
All   but   beetles   killed;    no  injury   to 
plants. 
Do. 
Do. 
All  insects  and  some    beetles    killed ; 
plants  uninjured. 

Tender  buds  injured;  insects  killed. 

Satisfactory. 

Not  wholly  satisfactory. 

Experiment  1. . 
Experiment  2.. 
Experiment  3.. 

Experiment  4.. 
Experiment  5.. 
Experimeut  6.. 

Experiment  7.. 

Trial  III 

Trial  IV 

Trial  V 

Trial  VI 

to  99  per  cent  pure. 


79 

SCALE  INSECTS  ON  AMERICAN   FRUIT  IMPORTED  INTO  GERMANY. 

[ . V i » - 1 1  ;i.  i  of  |  papei  bj  Dr.  J     kin.] 

[NTBOD1  I   i  i«».N. 

Extensive  scientific  investigations  oould  uol  i»<-  madedoring  the  first 

winter  of  the  existence  of  the  station,  and  ii><-  present  pnblicati i 

confined  i<»  some  statistical  notes  basrd  iipou  ;i  «;i i «•  fi 1 1  count  of  tbe 
scale  insects  fonnd  on  American  fruits.     a>  a  matter  of  course,  oulj  a 

small    tract  ion  of  the   inspected    fruits   could    he   made  the  basis  of  the 
following  enumeration  : 

I.   [INVESTIGATIONS. 

DISTRIBC  Hon    OF   COC<  IDB   on    THB   si  i:ia«  r.   <-i     I  ki  M-. 

As  a  general  rule  Ooccids  are  found  on  the  protected  places  of  the 
surface  of  fruits;  in  stone  fruits,  therefore,  in  the  stem  cavity,  but  also 
on  the  stem;  in  pears  and  apples  the  tlower  cavity  and  tbe  calyx  cavity 
are  favorite  living  places;  in  apples,  in  addition,  the  deep  stem  cavity. 
Aspidiotus  pernio%08U8  alone  occurs  frequently  on  the  unprotected  sur- 
face of  pears. 

I  have  couuted  ou  pears  : 


Male.  Female. 


( 'h i C nas-pis  furfu rus  Fitch  : 

In  tbe  calyx  cavity 

In  the  flower  cavity 

Near  the  flower  cavity . . 

On  the  side 

Around  the  stem 

On  the  stem 


1 

16 
30 

...J  1 

10  13 

1  4 


Total 


Similar  tables  follow  regarding  G  other  species,  which  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  print  in  detail,  but  which  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

Asjiidiotus  ancylus  Putu.,  259  specimens. 

A8pidiotus  forbesi  Johus.,  17  specimens,  all  in  the  cavity  of  the  llower. 

Aspidiolus perniciosn8  Comst.,  757  specimens. 

Aspid'tottts  camellia'  Signoret,  115  specimens. 

Chionaspis  fttrfttrtts  Fitch,  52  specimens. 

Mytilaspis  pomorum  Bonche,  59  specimens. 

This  last-mentioned  species  proved  to  be  quite  aberrant.  On  the  free 
surface  there  were  20.34  per  cent  of  the  specimens  and  none  whatever 
in  the  flower  cavity,  which  is  so  favored  by  the  other  Ooccids. 

'This  paper  of  Dr.  Reh's,  entitled  "Untersuchungen  an  Amerikanischen  oii^t- 
Schildlausen,"  was  published  recently  in   the  "  Mittheilungen  aua  dem  Naturhis- 

torischeu  Museum,"  Volume  XVI,  and  as  it  summarizes  a  lengthy  series  of  careful 
observations,  points  a  moral  to  American  exporters  of  fruit,  and  shows  plainly  the 
importance  to  our  entire  fruit  industry  of  sending  abroad  only  perfectly  clean  fruit, 
this  abstract  in  English  has  been  drawn  up  at  my  request  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Schwarz. — 
L.  o.  H. 


80 

In  the  following  table  are  summarized  the  data  concerning  place  on 
surface  of  fruits  where  the  specimens  were  found : 


Above. 


On  side. 


Below. 


Aspidiotus  ancylus ..... 

forbesi , 

perniciosus 
camellice. . . 

Chionaspis  furfurus . . . 

Mytila tapis  pomorum  .. 


Per  cent. 
7.33 


Per  cent. 
0.38 


34.75 
78.26 
13.80 
71.18 


50 


8.62 
20.34 


Per  cent. 
92.28 
100 
61.69 
21.74 
77.58 
8.48 


From  a  consideration  of  these  figures  I  am  inclined  to  assert  that 
the  distribution  of  scale  insects  on  the  surface  of  fruits  depends  on  the 
sensitiveness  of  the  insects  to  meteorological  influences.  Those  not 
sensitive  are  Aspidiotus  camellia?,  and  especially  Mytilasjris  pomorum; 
those  very  sensitive  are  Aspidiotus  ancylus  and  A.  forbesi;  Aspidiotus 
perniciosus  is  comparatively  not  sensitive. 

STAGE   AND   SEX   OF   THE   SCALE   INSECTS    (COUNTED   ON   FRUIT). 

Free  living  larvae  have  never  been  found,  and  the  specimens  desig- 
nated as  larvae  are  specimens  already  fixed. 

A.  ancylus. — Among  262  specimens  were  250  immature  females,  12 
larvae.  There  is  therefore  hardly  any  danger  that  this  species  could 
be  imported,  although  it  is  by  far  the  most  common  species. 

A.  forbesi. — Of  the  17  specimens  all  were  immature  females,  but  in  a 
few  instances  (not  enumerated  here)  a  few  male  larvae  were  seen.  On 
account  of  the  rarity  and  sensitiveness  of  this  species  there  seems  to 
be  no  danger  of  its  being  imported. 

A.  perniciosus. — I  counted  82  males,  354  females,  259  larvae.  The 
specimens  designated  as  males  were,  almost  without  exception,  male 
larvae  or  male  pupae.  Most  of  the  females  were  almost  mature  and 
many  had  eggs,  but  only  2  had  mature  embryos.  The  danger  of  impor- 
tation of  this  species  is  therefore  very  great.  In  sendings  of  apples 
(pears  are  sent  to  Germany  only  in  a  dried  condition)  which  arrive  in 
the  late  fall  of  the  year  this  danger  is  reduced  to  a  minimum,  but  it 
increases  with  the  beginning  of  spring,  reaching  its  maximum  from 
March  to  May. 

A.  camellia'. — Of  33  specimens  1  was  a  male  (dead),  10  females  with 
mature  embryos,  12  females  mature  but  without  embryos,  9  young 
females,  and  1  larva.  There  is  danger  in  its  importation,  since  it 
occurs  only  in  warmer  countries  and  since  its  home  is  southern  Europe. 

Chionaspis  fur  fur  us. — Of  133  specimens  115  were  females,  17  more  or 
less  developed  males,  and  1  larva.  Of  the  females  94  were  filled  with 
eggs.  The  danger  of  the  importation  of  this  species  appears  to  be 
quite  considerable,  but  is  reduced  by  the  facts  that  the  species  is  con- 
fined to  warmer  countries  and  that  it  is  everywhere  driven  out  by  31. 
pomorum,  which  is  so  common  in  Germany. 


-1 

Mytilaspis  pomorum.    Of  63  specimen!  .ill  wen-  females.     Of  tl 
1 1  weir  examined,  and  1 1  of  tins  Dumber  contained  <•-■_•-.    Since  tln> 
species  is  a  native  of  Europe,  the  question  <>r  importation  <;in  hardly 
be  considered. 

In  Bumming  up,  a  danger  of  importation  comes  into  consideration 
only  with  the  San  .i<»sc  scale,  and  the  recent  edicts  of  the  Government 
arc  therefore  justly  confined  to  this  specie-. 

LIVING     LXD    DKAI>  8PECIMKN8    won,,    [MPORTBD    *    kLE8— PARA8ITE8. 

For  dried  fruits  of  ;»11  sorts  it  must  be  accepted  as  an  Invariable  rule 
that  no  li\ ring  scale  lias  ever  been  found  thereon.  The  following  tables 
refer  to  fresh  fruit,  and  while,  as  Professor  Kxaepelin  Bays,  the  coloni- 
zation of  such  fruit  by  scales  must  be  considered  aa  an  abnormal  phe- 
nomenon or  an  alienation,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubl  that  such  scales 
as  have  settled  on  fruit  will  develop  and  propagate. 

Aspidiotus  ancylus. — Of  250  females  232  were  alive:  of  L2  larva-  11 
were  alive:  total.  92.75  per  cent  alive,  7.25  per  cent  dead.  Of  the  19 
dead  scales  1  had  been  killed  by  liymenopterous  parasites  and  li  were 
infested  by  fungi. 

A.forbesi. — Of  17  females  1  was  dead. 

A.  perniciosus. — There  was  considerable  difference  in  the  various  lots 
and  the  following  tables  are  taken  at  random  from  those  I  have  exam- 
ined, in  some  of  them  the  scales  being  greatly  and  in  others  poorly 
infested  by  parasites. 

Here  follow  six  tables  which  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  print  in  full, 
the  summary  of  which  is  as  follows:  Two  hundred  and  fourteen  33.49 
per  cent)  living  and  425  (6(3.51  per  cent)  dead  specimens  of  A.  pernici- 
osus were  found.  Of  the  dead  specimens  03  were  "eaten  out"  (killed 
by  insect  enemies),  equal  to  9.06  per  cent  of  all  specimens,  and  156 
(equal  to  22.44  per  cent  of  all  specimens)  were  infected  by  fungi. 

More  than  30  per  cent  of  all  imported  San  Jose  scales  arrive  infested 
by  parasites  (insects  and  fungi).  The  experiments  regarding  the  accli- 
matization of  hymenopterous  parasites  seem  to  be  beset  with  great 
difficulty.  That  of  the  fungi  would  be  easier,  and  it  would  be  quite 
important  to  ascertain  whether  the  fungus  found  by  us  is  really  SpJwe- 
ro8tilbe  coccophila.     This  question  must  be  left  to  the  botanists. 

COMMON   OCCURREN*  i:    OF    SEVERAL   SPECIES   OP    COCCIDjE. 

1.  Common  occurrence  on  different  apples  of  the  name  sending. — ./.  ancylus,  A.  forberi, 
and  M.pomorum  on  Russets  (November 21,  L898  . 

A.  ancylus  and  M.  pomorum  on  Baldwins  three  times  (November  25,  1898,  December 
14.  1898,  December  27.  1898);  on  Canada  Red  (November  28,  L898),  on  Rock  Rnssel 
(December  14,  1898),  and  on  Spy  (November  25,  18 

J.  ancylus  and  Ch.  furfur  us  on  Fallawater  (November  22,  lv  ,x   . 

A.  camellia'  and  M,  pomorum  on  Newtown  Pippins  (December  29,  1*98). 

A.  perniciosus,  A.  camellia,  and  M.  pomorum  on  Newtown  Pippins  (November  11. 
1898). 

11608— No.  22        <i 


82 

A.  pemioio8U8,  J,  forbesi,  and  Ch.furfurus  on  Ben  Davis,  from  Virginia  (December 
6,  1898). 

2.  Common  occurrence  on  one  apple. — ./.  ancylua  and  A.  forbesi  on  one  English  Russet 
(November  2! t,  1898). 

A.  camellia  and  .1/.  pomorum  on  one  Newtown  Pippin  (February  11,  1899). 

A.  ]>crniciosu8  and  A.  camellia'  on  two  Newtown  Pippins  (February  14,  1899). 

A.  perniciosns  and  M.  pomorum  on  one  Newtown  Pippin  (February  14,  1899). 

The  result  of  the  investigation  is  rather  negative.  The  various  spe- 
cies of  Coccids  occur  in  company  in  all  sorts  of  combinations,  but  it 
seems  that  the  occurrence  of  A.  ancylus  excludes  that  of  A.  camellice 
and  A.  pernieioms. 

EXPERIMENTS. 

No  experiments  to  imitate  the  American  methods  of  drying  fruit 
were  made  for  various  reasons,  but  more  especially  because  we  rely 
implicitly  upon  the  results  of  the  experiments  made  in  the  laboratories 
of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  under  the  direction  of 
L.  O.  Howard,  by  the  pomologist,  William  A.  Taylor,  and  the  ento- 
mologist, Nathan  Banks. 

Only  the  two  following  experiments  appeared  to  me  important  in  rela- 
tion to  the  importation  of  fruit: 

1.  The  non-importation  edict  is  also  directed  against  the  wrappings 
and  packings  of  the  invoices.  Many  wrapping  papers  were  examined 
by  us,  but  always  with  negative  result.  In  this  connection  experi- 
ments were  made  to  ascertain  how  long  a  Coccid  would  live  when 
removed  from  its  place  and  transported  to  another  place  on  the  apple. 
The  result  was  that,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  the  Coc- 
cid lives  about  three  months;  under  ordinary  circumstances,  about  one 
week. 

The  result  is  that  the  various  packings — barrels,  boxes,  paper — do 
not  appear  to  present  any  danger  as  to  the  transportation  of  the  San 
Jose  scale. 

2.  The  non-importation  edict  refers  also  to  dried-apple  peelings.- 
Upon  such  peelings  no  living  Coccids  have  ever  been  found,  as  far  as  I 
know,  but  I  made  experiments  to  ascertain  the  vitality  of  A.pemiciosus 
on  fresh  peelings.  Result:  The  scales  on  the  thickest  peelings  lived 
longest,  not  quite  twenty  days;  on  ordinary  peelings  they  died  in  from 
eight  to  fourteen  days.  But  in  all  cases  these  peelings  were  fresher 
than  those  arriving  from  America. 

A  few  other  experiments  may  be  briefly  mentioned  here. 

3.  Re-formation  of  the  scale,  and  vitality  without  the  scale. — The  scale 
was  carefully  removed  from  the  Coccids  without  touching  the  latter, 
but  a  re-formation  of  the  scale  never  took  place.  If  the  scale  was  only 
slightly  lifted  it  was  slowly  but  firmly  drawn  back  again  by  the  insect. 
The  vitality  without  scale  was  a  very  long  one,  extending  over  more 
than  three  months. 

4.  The  behavior  of  Coccids  on  rotten  apples  appears  to  me  of  impor- 
tance, because  such  apples  are  of  course  thrown  away.    My  experiments 


88 

gave  the  result  that  Ooooida  are  able  t<>  retain  their  vitality  on  rotten 
apples  for  about  three  weeks. 

.').  l  itality  of  Ooceids  immersed  in  water.  Thefew  experiments  seem 
t<>  show  t  hat  ( loooids  can  live  several  hoars  under  water. 

6.  Experiment*  with  gases,   -Cold  vapor  of  alcohol  does  doI  kill;  irurm 

vapor   of   alcohol    kills    pretty    quickly,      Vapors,    cold    and    warm,    of 

formal iu  do  not  kill.  Bulphur  vapors  seem  to  kill  scales  on  apple. 
Tommon  chloroform  gas  easily  kills  the  lice,  but  the  apples  turn  quite 
browu.    To  gas  ofoyancalium  the  lice  proved  to  be  quite  indifferent, 

7.  Fluids  tkatpenetrate  the  sale. — Quickly  evaporating  fluid's  —such  as 
alcohol,  formalin,  chloroform, eau  deJavelle — do  not  seem  to  have  any 
effect,  whereas  a  painting  of  the  scale  with  sulphuric  acid,  toluol,  and 
heavy  oil  (Rubol)  surely  killed  the  lice. 

S.  Temperature  experiments, — One  apple  was  immersed  for  twenty 
minutes  in  water  of  50°  O.j  the  liee  were  not  killed. 

Without  microscopic  examination  of  the  cells  it  is  extremely  difficult 
to  decide  whether  a  (Joccid  is  dead  or  alive. 

INSECT  CONTROL  IN  RIVERSIDE,  CALIFORNIA. 

By  Felix  G.  Havens,  Riverside,  Cal. 

The  work  of  insect  pest  control  naturally  divides  itself  into  three 
parts,  viz,  inspection,  eradication  and  quarantine. 

INSPECTION. 

In  Riverside  County  the  work  of  inspection  is  organized  as  follows: 
The  county  board  of  horticultural  commissioners,  consisting  of  three 
members,  has  divided  the  county  into  three  divisions,  each  division 
being  in  charge  of  one  commissioner.  The  orange-growing  section, 
known  as  Riverside,  and  comprising  12,500  acres  of  citrus  orchards, 
is  one  of  these  divisions.  Riverside  division  is  subdivided  into  six 
districts,  and  a  local  inspector  is  in  charge  of  each  district. 

All  of  the  work  of  inspecting  done  in  each  district  is  reported  by  the 
inspector  in  charge,  and  these  reports  give  in  detail  the  names  of  the 
inspectors  employed,  owners  of  property  inspected,  acres  examined, 
pests  found,  date  of  plat  or  report,  amount  of  time  occupied  in  inspect- 
ing each  ranch,  and  how  divided  as  between  the  inspectors  employed. 

Each  orchard  is  examined  tree  by  tree  and  row  by  row,  together  with 
all  of  the  shrubbery,  rosebushes,  etc.,  on  the  place.  Whenever  infested 
trees  are  found  in  an  orchard  they  are  marked  around  the  trunk  or  in 
some  equally  permanent  manner,  and  the  inspector  in  charge  notes  their 
location  in  the  orchard,  and  when  the  orchard  is  tinished,  he  makes  a 
plat  or  diagram  showing  the  location  of  all  the  infested  trees  in  the 
orchard,  in  relation  to  each  other  and  to  the  boundaries  of  the  orchard. 
The  orchards  are  so  set  out  and  arranged  that  a  sheet  crosslined  with 
35  lines  each  way  can  be  used  to  correctly  designate  the  location  of  each 


84 

tree  on  any  given  10  acre  orchard  in  the  county.  Where  orchards  are 
less  than  10  acres  the  diagram  is  cut  down,  and  where  more  than  10 
acres  it  is  platted  in  10-acre  sections.  Three  copies  of  all  plats  are 
made,  and  used  as  follows:  One  is  given  to  the  foreman  of  the  eradica- 
tion work  and  is  used  in  locating  the  trees  in  the  orchard  when  that 
work  is  done,  one  copy  is  filed  in  the  office  of  the  horticultural  commis- 
sioner, and  one  is  given  to  the  owner  of  the  orchard. 

The  inspector  keeps  the  notes  taken  at  the  time  the  infested  tree  was 
found  and  thus  has  a  permanent  record.  By  these  means  the  identifi- 
cation of  all  infested  trees  is  made  absolutely  correct.  The  plats  of 
each  orchard  for  the  consecutive  years  or  inspections  are  kept  together 
and  present  in  each  case  a  full  brief  of  the  course  of  the  insects  in  each 
orchard.  The  work  of  inspection  is  at  present  being  fully  cared  for  in 
the  entire  12,500  acres  by  six  inspectors.  The  older  part  of  the  orchards, 
comprising  about  5,000  acres,  is  inspected  as  near  as  may  be  once  a 
year.  It  is  in  these  orchards  that  the  pests  were  established  when  the 
inspection  began,  and  as  most  of  the  trees  are  large  seedling  orange 
trees,  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  years  old  and  30  feet  high  by  20  feet 
in  spread  of  branches,  it  can  be  seen  that  an  inspector  must  needs  be 
expert  to  safely  inspect  from  2  to  3  acres  of  such  trees  per  day.  The 
younger  part  of  the  orchards  comprises  about  7,500  acres,  and  contains 
mostly  navel  orange  trees.  These  trees  have  all  been  set  out  since 
the  horticultural  commission  was  established,  and  as  every  tree  was 
inspected  and  none  allowed  set  out  unless  it  was  clean  of  insect  pests 
these  orchards  have  grown  up  under  good  care  and  not  to  exceed 
20  trees  infested  with  pests  have  ever  been  found  in  the  whole  7,500 
acres.  An  attempt  is  made  to  inspect  this  part  of  the  orchards  once 
in  two  years.  The  work  has  always  been  such  that  the  efficiency  of 
the  inspection  was  of  the  highest  importance.  In  case  of  such  pests 
as  the  red  scale,  for  instance,  if  an  inspector  should  fail  to  find  it  on  a 
tree,  before  the  routine  brought  the  inspector  around  to  the  orchard 
again  not  only  would  that  tree  be  badly  infested,  but  a  dozen  trees  or 
more  perhaps  in  its  immediate  vicinity  would  be  affected  also.  The 
policy  has  been  to  use  every  endeavor  to  stamp  the  pests  out,  and  to 
that  end  every  tree  found  infected  has  been  treated.  If  the  infection 
was  slight  and  only  on  a  few  leaves  or  one  or  two  twigs,  the  branches 
were  cut  out  liberally  and  burned.  This  was  found  to  be  quite  suffi- 
cient in  almost  all  of  such  cases,  and  thousands  of  trees  have  been 
cleaned  in  this  way  by  the  inspectors,  and  have  never  since  shown 
infestation.  By  this  system  of  reports,  records,  plats,  etc.,  it  is  pos- 
sible to  keep  track  of  every  tree  in  all  this  12,500  acres  and  find  all  of 
the  data  in  our  office,  and  all  arranged  in  very  simple  manner.  A  tree 
selected  at  random  anywhere  in  this  valley  can  be  taken,  and  the 
records  of  the  commission  will  show  whether  it  was  ever  found  infested 
with  pests,  and  what  kind,  also  how  many  times,  and  the  dates  when 
it  was  inspected,  name  of  the  inspector  who  examined  it  each  time, 
and  if  it  has  been  found  affected  with  pests  when  it  was  treated  and 
what  with,  also  what  variety  of  fruit  the  tree  is. 


85 

This  does  not  involve  a  complex  system  al  all,  Foi  .1  fe*  verj  simple 
reports  and  plats  furnish  it  all.  The  cost  of  this  system  of  inspection 
since  April,  is!>;>,  and  the  acres  examined,  Dumber  of  trees  found 
infested  each  year  to  date  In  Riverside  division,  has  been  as  follows: 


1 


I'ei  lod. 


i.>  .  it  .1 


fuODcl  in- 


1 396,  9  months,  April  t«>  Deoembei    I 

1896  

1897  ..  



1899,  11  months,  (>•  December  l 


:  1 


I 
; 


Iii  this  state  fruit  trees  over  I  years  old  arc  taxed.  !n  this  county 
an  agreement  has  been  made  whereby  the  money  raised  from  this  tax 
is  available  tor  the  work  of  the  horticultural  commission.  It  is  divided 
between  the  three  divisions,  each  division  receiving  the  money  raised 
by  the  tax  on  the  trees  within  its  limits. 

Under  this  arrangement  Riverside  has  never  used  her  full  share  of 
the  money  in  any  year  sinee  1894. 

The  expense  given  in  the  above  table  covers  also  the  cost  of  the 
quarantine  work;  in  fact,  all  of  the  expeuse  of  the  Riverside  division 
exeept  the  work  of  eradication. 

The  following  is  the  form  of  report  each  inspector  makes  covering 
operations  in  his  district: 

Report  of  fruit  pest  inspecting  done  and  time  of  each  inspector  working  in  

division ,  district  during . 


-,  Inspector  in  Charge. 


Assistants. 


Kind  of 

<D  bC 

Hi 

trees, 

a. a 

+3 

SB 

-p  £ 

3. 

«« s? 

Name  of 
owiier. 

5 
§ 
a 

O 

■8 

a 

i 

3 

H 

® 
00 

Kind  of 
pests. 

1 

! 

1 
3 

1 

c 
c 

! 

1 
3 

< 

5 

5 

i 

< 

1 

> 

O 

1 

.2 

0 

O     . 

O 

Remarks. 

P 

0 

•4 

a 

3 

Pi 

q 

p 

S3 

3 

Pi 

3 

p 

50 

a 

H 

p 

00 

a 
— 

»8  0.9 

EH 

P 

Days. 

Days. 

Days. 

Days. 

Days. 

ERADICATION. 

Efficient  methods  for  destroying  insect  pests  are  fully  as  important 
as  careful  work  in  inspection.  The  pest  which  has  given  the  most 
trouble  is  the  red  scale;  other  scale  pests  have  either  never  gotten  a 
foothold  or  else  have  been  checked  by  parasites  or  natural  causes.  The 
hydrocyanic-acid  gas  treatment  is  the  one  that  has  been  generally  used 
on  citrus  trees,  and  it  has  been  almost  uniformly  successful. 


86 

Previous  to  June,  1807,  the  work  of  eradication  was  under  the  con- 
trol of  persons  not  connected  with  the  horticultural  commission,  and, 
consequently,  there  was  not  the  system  and  promptness  so  essential  in 
work  of  this  kind.  The  new  horticultural  law,  which  took  effect  April, 
1897,  provided  that  owners  or  agents  of  pest-infested  trees  or  premises 
be  given  notice  as  follows: 

NOTICE. 

No. . 

To ,  residence . 

You  are  hereby  notified  that  the  undersigned,  horticultural  commissioner  of  the 
county  of  Riverside,  State  of  California,  has  caused  an  inspection  to  be  made  of  your 
orchard  and  the  trees  thereon,  located  at ,  in  said  county. 

That  said  examination  was  made  on  the day  of ,  189 — ,  and  that  upon  said 

examination  of  your  said  orchard trees  wee  found  to  be  infested  with 

injurious  to  fruit  and  fruit  trees.     You  are  therefore  notified  that  your  said  orchard 

and  trees  are  infested  with  said injurious  to  fruit  and  fruit  trees,  and  you  are 

hereby  required  to  eradicate  or  destroy  the  said  scale  insects  and  other  pests  and 

their  eggs  and  larva*,  within  days  of  the  time  of  the  service  on  you  of  this 

notice. 

Dated  this  day  of ,  189—. 


Horticultural  commissioner  as  aforesaid,  quarantine  guardian  in  and  for  the  county  of 
Riverside  at  large. 
Notice  served  by ,  horticultural  inspector. 

The  law  further  provides  that  in  case  said  owners,  etc.,  do  not  eradi- 
cate the  pests,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  horticultural  commissioners  to  at 
once  proceed  to  abate  and  eradicate  said  pests.  This  made  it  necessary 
for  the  horticultural  commissioners  to  be  provided  with  the  required 
outfit  for  the  business.  The  commissioners  therefore  had  the  following 
form  of  contract  prepared,  secured  the  signature  of  the  owners  of 
infested  property,  and  went  into  the  fumigating  business. 

FORM   OF   CONTRACT. 

State  of  California,  County  of  Riverside,  ss: 

I  hereby  waive  the  within  notice,  and  all  notice  and  service  thereof,  and  consent 
that  the  horticultural  commissioner  may  proceed  at  once  without  further  notice  or 
any  notice  and  eradicate  and  destroy  the  scale  insects  and  other  pests  and  their  eggs 
and  larva3  with  which  my  orchard  and  trees  are  infested,  at  my  expense. 


189—. 


The  work  is  done  at  actual  cost ,  but  10  per  cent  is  added  to  cover 
repairs  and  to  replace  the  outfit  when  it  wears  out. 

Below  is  given  the  cost  and  number  of  trees  fumigated  since  June 
7,1897: 


Year. 

Number 
of trees. 

Total  cost. 

1897 

4,720 
5,888 
1,637 

$4, 153.  60 
5,  299.  20 
1, 474.  87 

1898 

1899 

Aji  examination  of  the  above  figures  di><  iiIiamh  >m«*ii:il  d<-<  re  i-e 

in  tin'  Dumber  of  pests  since  L898,     \  comparison  ol  record  thai 

28  orobards  of  a  total  acreage  ol      i>  b  res    bad  1,609  trees  found 
infested  with  red  scale  and  fumigated  in  1898,    The  same  orchard    al 
the    1899   inspection    turned   on!    onlj     133   infested 
orchards,  containing  WO  acres,  bad  2,134  infested  trees  in  L898and 
in  1899.     [n  all  of  these  3,734  trees  fumigated  in  these  06  orchards  con 
taining  805  acres,  not  a  aiugle  one  but    was  cleaned  and  the  i 
destroyed  by  the  fumigation  of  L898,    Every  one  of  i  he  1,066  trees  found 
this  year  were  new  ones  that  bad  never  shown  infection  before. 

These  orchards  referred  to  arc  in  the  oldest  section  of  the  Stiver 
side  orange  district,  and  the  trees,  which  are  seedlings,  are  mostly  over 

twenty-five  years  old,  and  the  red  scale  was  established  in  them  when 
the  horticultural  commission  was  established  in  L889.  The  records  of 
the  commission  show  this  to  be  the  smallest  number  of  infested  trees 
ever  found  at  any  Inspection  of  these  groves  since  the  records  began, 
which  was  April,  1895. 

QUARANTINE. 

The  quarantine  work  is  regarded  as  the  most  efficient  part  of  the 
service.  The  pests  kept  out  do  no  harm.  In  this  part  of  the  work  is 
included  the  inspection  of  all  nursery  stock  grown  in  the  district  and 
the  inspection  and  treatment  of  all  nursery  stock  and  fruit  brought  in; 
also  the  inspection  of  fruit  packing  houses,  and  attention  to  all  of  the 
methods  whereby  pests  might  be  carried  from  one  locality  to  another 
orchard  or  locality.  So  efficient  has  this  work  been  that  no  insect 
pests  have  been  brought  into  Riverside  and  become  established  since 
the  horticultural  commission  was  established;  and  this,  too,  in  the  face 
of  the  fact  that  in  1890, 1891,  and  1892  more  than  200  carloads  of  orange 
nursery  stock  was  brought  to  this  place  from  Florida  and  set  out. 

A  very  large  proportion  of  the  navel  orange  orchards  was  planted 
with  this  stock.  There  was  hardly  a  tree  among  all  of  the  hundreds  of 
thousands  that  was  not  infested  with  dangerous  pests,  and  many  of 
them  were  covered  with  purple  scale.  The  worst  infested  trees  were 
burned,  and  the  rest  dipped  in  a  strong  whale  oil  soap  and  kerosene 
solution  and  the  insects  scrubbed  off  with  stiff  bristle  brushes. 

A  tree  was  never  allowed  to  be  taken  away  as  long  as  there  was  any 
possibility  of  there  being  pests  on  it.  Similar  vigilance  has  been 
observed  ever  since,  and  the  results  have  more  than  justified  the  care 
fulness  of  the  commission.  The  law  requires  all  persons  bringing  in  or 
receiving  nursery  stock  to  notify  the  horticultural  commissioner  or  local 
inspector  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  time  of  their  arrival. 

The  railway  and  -express  agents  also  refuse  to  deliver  such  goods 
except  to  the  horticultural  officers. 

All  shipments  of  nursery  goods  are  inspected  before  delivery  to  the 
owners,  no  matter  whose  certificate  accompanies  them,  for  experience 
has  amply  convinced  the  commission  that  it  can  not  afford  to  take  any 


88 

chances  whatever,  but  must  be  governed  by  the  condition  of  the  nursery 
stock  in  every  case.  In  innumerable  cases  the  accompanying  certificate 
gave  the  stock  a  clean  bill  of  health,  when  a  careful  examination  would 
reveal  the  presence  of  dangerous  pests.  Sometimes  it  would  be  root 
borers,  as  in  the  case  of  Japanese  orange  stock,  which  passed  the 
State  quarantine  officer's  hands.  The  commission  regards  it  as  a  mat- 
ter of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  inspection  of  nursery  stock 
should  by  all  means  be  done  at  destination  of  goods,  no  matter  where 
else  they  may  have  been  examined.  In  no  other  way  can  the  matter 
be  brought  home  to  every  community  and  made  a  local  one,  which  it  is 
in  a  very  large  measure. 

In  addition  to  the  nursery  stock  work,  both  that  coming  in  and  that 
being  shipped  out,  the  fruit-packing  houses  are  watched  and  all  infested 
fruit  condemned  and  destroyed;  also  the  orchard  it  came  from  is  traced 
and  inspected  and  the  infested  trees  fumigated  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  fruit  packers  are  not  allowed  to  take  boxes,  ladders,  etc.,  from 
infested  groves  to  those  known  to  be  free  of  pests.  In  these  matters 
the  commission  has  the  hearty  cooperation  of  both  packers  and  growers. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  system  has  grown  up  with  the  magnitude  of  the  work.  Changes 
and  improvements  have  been  made  by  each  of  the  commissioners  who 
have  had  it  in  charge.  The  law  has  been  changed  in  some  respects; 
public  opinion,  which  has  always  been  strongly  in  favor  of  the  work, 
is  now  unanimously  for  it;  the  courts  have  lately  upheld  the  law,  and 
the  commission  looks  forward  in  expectation  that  Riverside  will  con- 
tinue to  be,  as  it  now  is,  not  only  the  largest  compact  area  of  citrus 
groves  in  the  world,  but  the  cleanest  of  insect  pests  as  well. 

NOTES    ON  A   BRIEF   TRIP  TO   PUERTO    RICO   IN   JANUARY  AND 

FEBRUARY,  1899. 

By  A.  Busck,  Assistant. 

Sir:  December  11,  1898,  in  accordance  with  your  instructions  of 
December  10, 1898,  I  proceeded  to  Norfolk,  Ya.,  and  joined  the  United 
States  Fish  Commission  expedition  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Fish  HawTc  for  Puerto 
Eico.  My  instructions  read  as  follows:  (1)  "  Make  as  complete  a  col- 
lection as  possible  of  the  scale  insects  of  the  island,  making  an  especial 
effort  to  secure  their  parasites;  (2)  to  collect  and  learn  as  much  as 
possible  about  other  insects  in  all  orders,  especially  those  injurious  to 
agriculture." 

The  results  of  the  trip  were  the  collection  of  between  800  and  900 
species  of  insects,  together  with  many  spiders  and  myriapods,  most  of 
which  have  already  been  determined.  It  is  the  object  of  the  writer, 
however,  in  this  brief  report  to  give  simply  a  summary  account  of  the 
journey,  with  mention  of  such  injurious  insects  as  he  could  collect  or 
learn  about.  He  has  appended  a  list  of  Coccidfe  which  he  collected 
and  which  have  been  named  by  Messrs.  Pergande  and  Cockerell. 


J 


Stopping  on  the  iraj  at  Charleston,  S  (    .  I  fbee  [aland,  Georgia,  and 

Nassau.   I"..r.  .una    Island-,   I   n>t  d    thr  limited  time  .il   684  b  0  OOl 

lect     [arrived  at  San  Joan,  P.  R.,  January  and  worked  from 

thereon  the  northern  part  of  the  island  aafai   inland       I 
Bayamon.    January  17  the   FisA  Hawk  took  me  to  Aguadilla,  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  tin-  island,  and  leaving  the  steamer  I  worked  on 
foot  and  by  rail  south  to  Mayague:    and.  after  a  fe*  days,  north  and 
west  inland  on  horseback  oVer  A.nasca,  San  Sebastian,  Lares,  I  tnado, 

and  south  to  Adjnnctas  and   Ponce,  Stopping    at  each  place  a  lew  d.i\>. 

Prom  Ponce  1  again  took  the  Fish  Hawk)  February  2,  to  Arroyo,  in  the 

southeast  corner  of  the  island.  Alter  a  lew  days'  work  from  this  point 
inland  as  far  as  (inayama  1  remained  on  the  steamer  on  its  coaling  trip 
to  Saint  Thomas,  Danish  West  Indies,  and  stopped  on  the  way  back  sei 
eral  days  on  the  two  American  islands,  Vieques  and  Cnlcbia.  1  landed 
February  13  on  the  east  coast  of  Puerto  Rico  and  worked  over  Bumacao, 
Fajardo,  EJ  Yunqne.  and  Carolina  back  to  San  Juan  and  joined  the 
steamer  there  for  the  home  trip,  February  22,  via  Key  West,  reaching 
Norfolk.  Ya..  March  s.  and  Washington,  I).  0.,  the  next  morning. 

Of  insects  injurious  to  the  sugar  cane  in  the  held,  were  especially 
noted  the  common  lepidopterous  borer  in  the  stalk,  THatrasa  saccharalis; 
Sphenophoru8  sexguttatus  Drury.  also  boring  in  the  stalks;  a  lamellicorn 
larva  common  and  destructive  to  the  roots,  and  a  mealy  bug,  Dactylo- 
pius  sacehari  Ckll.  The  first  of  these  was  iu  some  localities  quite  bad, 
nearly  every  cane  containing  several  specimens,  but  no  intentional 
remedy  is  undertaken.  The  annual  cutting  and  crushing  the  cane 
with  all  living  larvae  and  pupa'  naturally  keeps  the  pest  in  check,  but 
the  remaining  roots  and  single  canes  always  contain  enough  individ- 
uals to  infest  the  next  year's  growth. 

The  coffee  plantations  seemed  remarkably  free  from  serious  insect 
pests.  Of  scale  insects,  only  Lecanium  hemispheericum  was  found,  aud 
that  very  sparingly,  and  mostly  killed  by  a  parasitic  fungus.  The 
coffee  leaf-miner.  Leucoptera  (Gemiostoma)  cofftelld,  was  very  abundant, 
the  empty  larval  mines  being  often  found  three  or  four  on  nearly  every 
leaf,  giving  the  trees  a  brown,  withered  aspect;  but  this  did  not  seem 
to  injure  the  trees  seriously,  at  least  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  insect  - 
b$'  the  growers.  T  was  told  several  times  about  depredations  of  a 
snout  beetle,  which  at  times  does  so  much  damage  to  "the  leaves, 
young  shoots,  llowers,  and  berries"  as  to  kill  the  trees,  and  estate 
holders  pay  a  premium  for  each  bushel  collected  and  destroyed,  but 
during  the  dry  season,  when  I  was  there,  neither  beetle  nor  damage 
was  visible. 

In  the  tobacco  fields,  among  other  insects  met  with,  were  the  tobacco 
Sphinx,  Protoparce  Carolina,  both  in  larval  and  adult  stage,  and  the 
tobacco -split  worm, ,?  GelechiasolanellaJ  which  are  also  tobacco  enemies 
in  the  United  States. 


Not  hitherto  recorded  from  the  West  Indies. 


90 

Here  I  met  with  the  only  trace  of  applied  economic  entomology  that 
I  fouud  on  the  island;  it  was  directed  against  the  very  abundant  and 
very  destructive  "  shanga,"  a  mole  cricket,  Gryllotalpa  hexadactyla 
(named  for  me  by  Dr.  Stahl  in  Bayamou,  who  told  me  that  it  is  a  com- 
paratively new  insect  in  Puerto  Rico,  having  been  introduced  within 
his  recollection).  This  insect  is  one  of  the  first  which  draws  the  atten- 
tion of  an  entomologist,  first,  on  account  of  its  size  and  abundance,  and 
because  it  flies  to  light,  and  becomes  a  nuisance  in  houses,  second, 
because  it  seems  to  be  the  only  insect  known  to  be  injurious,  in  the 
minds  of  most  people  in  Puerto  Pico.  When  asked  about  "  iusectos," 
they  may  mention  u  Mariposas  "  and  "esperanza,"  but  first  and  last  "el 
changa,"'  which  is  invariably  pronounced  "mucho  inalo"  (colloquial  for 
muy  malo,  very  bad).  The  protection  against  this  insect  consists  in  the 
use  of  the  large,  smooth  leaves  of  "  mammee"  (ill.  americanaf),  which  are 
placed  one  around  each  plant  edgewise,  like  a  cylinder,  down  about  an 
inch  in  the  ground.  I  have  seen  thousands  of  young  plants  of  tobacco 
or  vegetables  thus  protected,  the  leaves  being  placed  around  the  plants 
when  they  are  set  out  in  the  field  from  the  seed  bed.  It  is  a  tedious 
way,  but  seems  to  give  good  results,  probably  merely  as  a  mechanical 
fence,  which  the  mole  cricket  does  not  dig  under  or  through;  in  which 
case  cheap  tin  cylinders  5  inches  high  and  3£  inches  in  diameter,  made 
wholesale,  would  be  a  practical  substitute;  it  is  possible,  though,  that 
the  mammee  leaves  may  be  disagreeable  to  the  insects. 

Among  the  insects  injurious  to  small  vegetables  Spartocera  fusca  was 
especially  abundant  and  noxious,  sucking  the  stems  of  uMalanga"and 
"Yauchia." 

Of  shade  tree  enemies  the  showy  larva  of  Pseudosphinx  tetrio  was 
found  in  all  stages,  during  my  visit,  on  the  ornamental  "  Alelia"  (Phoni- 
er ia  rubra). 

One  striking  feature  in  the  insect  fauna  is  the  abundance  of  honey 
bees  and  no  beehives;  at  least  I  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  any,  and  they 
must  be  a  rarity.  Still  the  honey  harvest  is  quite  important,  although 
the  figures  given  in  the  last  Estadistica  General  del  Comercio  Exte- 
rior, of  Puerto  Rico  ($517,746),  of  the  exportation  thereof  surely  must 
be  wrong,  unless  they  possibly  include  molasses.  Very  large  colonies 
of  a  dark  variety  of  Apis  mellijica  were  abundant  in  hollow  trees  and 
especially  in  caves,  sometimes  also  in  outhouses.  These  are  annually 
smoked  out  and  furnish  large  quantities  of  honey. 

I  was  in  all  fifty  days  on  the  island,  several  of  which  were  neces- 
sarily lost  in  traveling  about  in  order  to  keep  connection  with  the 
steamer.  Naturally  such  a  short  trip  in  the  dry  (winter)  season,  when 
the  real  characteristic  fauna  is  dormant,  and  handicapped  by  the  limited 
knowledge  of  the  language,  customs,  roads,  and  way  of  traveling,  could 
only  result  in  a  mere  skimming  of  information  concerning  the  fauna  of 
the  island. 

An  expedition  undertaken  in  the  summer  season  and  with  more  time, 
so  as  to  give  opportunity  for  breeding  insects,  would  be  very  interesting 


'.'1 

and  would  Undoubtedly  result  in  tin-  disco\n\  ..f  m;iu\    new  and  <  har 

aoteristic  species.     On   such  an  expedition   tin-  iu\.  should 

not  try  to  cover  the  whole  island,  as  was  necessary  in  mj  cane,  but 
Bhould  sett  it •  down  for  a  month  at  a  time  in  i^hmh  tine-  localities  and 
exploit'  (he in  thoroughly.     Bayamon  with  its  verj  varied  snrroundi] 

and  near  which  arc  found  BOme  extrusive  and   Interesting  «\i\r>.  would 

be  one  profitable  stopping  place  and  lias  tin  advantage  that  tolerable 
food  and  quarters  can  be  obtained,  and  communication  with  the  outside 

world  is  easy  by  rail  to  San  .luan.      Adpintas.  OU  the   BOUtb  Bide  of  the 

mountain  range,  is  another  place  with  the  same  advantages.  The  south 
side  of  the  island  \s  rather  more  interesting  than  the  north,  where  the 

dry  and  rainy  seasons  are  not  so  sharply  defined. 

Very  interesting  are  the  two  small  islands.  ( Sulebra  and  Vieques,  and 
both  would  give  good  returns  under  a  prolonged  stay. 

The  only  large  tract  of  virgin  land  is  the  mountanous  northeastern 

part  centering  in  the  almost  inaccessible  mountain  top,  El  Yunqe. 

To  explore  the  fauna  of  this  unique  locality  one  should  be  provided 
witli  food  supply  and  tent,  and  making  one  of  the  coffee  estates  nearby 
headquarters,  should  take  trips  for  a  few  days  at  a  time.  Horses  are 
out  of  the  question  on  such  a  trip,  and  guides  as  such  are  useless,  as 
none  of  thein  have  ever  been  through  there;  still  a  native  is  very  help- 
ful to  have  along,  as  he  will  cut  you  through  the  thorny  luxuriant  trop- 
ical underbrush  with  his  machete,  where  you  would  be  absolutely 
barred  without  him,  or  at  least  his  machete. 

I  found  a  strong  beating  net  with  plenty  of  extra  netting  very  use- 
ful in  collecting.  Sifting  can  not  be  practiced  easily  because  of  the 
extreme  humidity  of  the  soil. 

During  my  stay  in  Puerto  Eico  I  met  the  most  courteous  reception 
from  everybody,  and  my  friendly  intercourse  with  many  natives  of  dif- 
ferent stations  in  life  was  a  help  to  me  while  there,  and  a  happy  recol- 
lection now.  Particularly  am  I  indebted  for  identification  of  plants, 
and  much  other  valuable  information,  to  the  learned  Dr.  Agustin  Stahl, 
of  Bayamon,  who  is  a  close  observer  of  nature  and  has  made  large 
collections  and  very  fine  colored  drawings  of  life  histories  of  many 
insects.  For  most  hospitable  reception  and  readil3T  given  explanations 
about  agricultural  matters,  I  wish  especially  to  thank  Seiior  Manuel 
Gonzales,  of  Hacienda  "Casualidad,r  near  Aguadilla;  SefiorG.Bianchi, 
"Central  Pagua,"  Anasco;  Sefior  Santiago  Pietri,  "Esperanza,"  Ad- 
juntas,  and  the  Mulero  family,  on  Culebra  Island. 

From  the  alcaldes  in  all  the  towns  1  visited,  as  from  the  American 
officers  stationed  there,  I  received  helpful  courtesies.  But  perhaps 
most  highly  of  all  receptions  did  I  prize  the  unmistakable  glad  wel- 
come extended  to  me  as  an  American  citizen  all  over  the  island  by  the 
poorest  class  of  native  laborers.  They  had  nothing  to  give,  and  it  was 
only  meager  information  of  any  kind  1  was  able  to  wrestle  from  them 
with  my  very  limited  Spanish;  but  the  eagerness  to  please,  the  activity 
with  which  an  entire  family  would  turn  out  to  dig  iu  the  ground,  turn 


92 

stones  and  logs  to  procure  "insectos"  (which  mostly  showed  up  to  be 
large  spiders  and  myriapods),  or  climb  the  tall  trunk  of  a  cocoa  palm 
to  offer  me  a  refreshing  drink  of  cocoa  milk,  made  one  feel  well  and  at 
home. 

Needless  to  say  that  I  never  carried  any  weapon  for  defense,  and 
never  had  the  slightest  use  for  one. 

Thanks  are  due  to  the  TJ.  S.  Fish  Commission,  through  whose  invita- 
tion the  trip  was  made,  as  well  as  to  the  entire  expedition  under  Profes- 
sor Everman  and  to  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Fish  Hawk  for 
the  very  pleasant  and  profitable  sojourn  among  them. 

All  identifications  of  insects  are  made  through  the  Division  of 
Entomology. 

LIST  OF   COCCID^E    COLLECTED    BY   MR.    A.    BUSCK    IN    PUERTO   RICO,    1899. 

By  T.  Pergande  and  T.  I).  A.  CocJeerell 

Only  one  Coccid  (Aspidiotus  destructor)  has  been  recorded  in  print  from  Puerto  Rico. 
(Canad.  Entom.,  1895,  p.  261.)     It  was  collected  by  Mr.  J.  D.  Hall  at  San  Juan. 
Icerya  montserratensis  Riley  and  Howard. 

On  orange,  Mayaguez,  .January  20. 

On  orange,  Bayamon,  January  10. 
Phenacoccus  gossypii  Twns.     Ckll. 

On  cotton,  Humacao,  February  15.     New  to  the  West  Indies. 
Dactylopius  sacchari  Ckll. 

On  sugar  cane,  Bayamon,  January. 

On  sugar  cane,  Mayaguez,  January. 

On  sugar  cane,  Humacao,  February. 
Asterolecanium  pustalans  Ckll. 

On  some  leguminous  plant,  Guayama,  February  4. 

On  Anona  reticulata,  San  Juan,  February  21. 
Asterolecanium  aureum  Boisd. 

On  a  liber  plant,  San  Juan,  January  17.     Occurs  on  the  leaves. 
Asterolecanium  bambusw  Boisd. 

On  bamboo,  Bayamon,  January  12. 

On  bamboo,  Utuado,  January  28. 
Pulrinaria  sp.  on  undetermined  weed. 

Viegues  Isle,  February  7. 
Lecanium  oleo3  Bern. 

On  Calabassa  tree,  Lares,  January  25. 

On  honey-locust,  Adjuntas,  January  30. 

On  iiuazuma  ulmifolia,  Guayama,  February  4. 

On  Terminalia  catappa,  Mayaguez,  January  20.     (Brown  variety.) 
Lecanium  nigrum  Nietn. 

On  Terminalia  catappa,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

On  cotton,  San  Juan,  January  5  (var.  depressum  Targ.).  ■ 
Lecanium  hemispliwricum  Targ. 

On  eggplant,  Catana,  January  17. 

On  guambana,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

On  coffee,  Caguas,  January  10. 
Ccroplastcs  floridensis  Comst. 

On  Anona  reticulata. 
Vinsonia  stellifera  Westw. 

On  cocoanut  palm,  Catana,  January  16. 

On  cocoanut  palm,  Bayamon,  January  16. 

On  cocoanut  palm,  Arroyo,  February  3. 


93 

THaspia  pentagon  a  Targ.     amytfdali,  Tryon. 

< )n  oaator  ml  plant,  Rio  Pedro,  January   it. 

( »n  unknown  tree,  Baj  an January   L6. 

On  peach,  Adjnnotas,  Jaunarj  24. 

On  honey-locust,  January  30, 

<  >n  mahagna,  Pajardo,  l  'ebruarj  17. 
THaspia  calyptroidea  Costa,  var  opuntiw,  CU1. 

Ponoe,  February  l . 
l  'hiona8pia  citri  ( 'must. 

( >n  linn-,  An.isro,  January  L'(». 
Chionospia  |  Hemichionospit)  minor  Mask. 

i  >n  eggplant,  <  atana.  January  17. 

On  Guozumo.  ulmi/olia,  Gnayama,  February  1. 
Ischnaspia  lonyirostria  Sign. 

On  oocoanut  palm,  Caguae,  January   11;  Catania,  January  12;  biayaguez,  Jan- 
nary  20;  Arroyo,  February  ::. 
Wowardia  biclavia  Coins! . 

On  lti.ro  orellana,  San  Sebastian,  January  24;  Anasco,  January  20 
This  and  the  following  five  species  were  studied  also  by  Mr.  C.  L.  Afarlatt. 
Chry80tnphalu8  aonidum  Liun.—jicua  Ashin. 

On  Terminalia  cai<ii>i>o%  San  .In;!!),  January  5. 

<>n  Auona  muricata,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

( »n  oleander,  Ponoe,  February  1. 

On  Mnsa ,  Caguas.    (Someof  this  lot  had  the  exuviae  \  cry  dark,  black  or  nearly  so.  j 
Aspidiotus  aurantii  Mask. 

On  Anona  muricata,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

On  Anona  muricata,  Ponce,  February  3. 
Aspidiotua  articulatua  Morgan. 

On  orange  leaves,  El  Yun<|iie,  February  IS;  about2,000  feet  altitude. 
Aapidiotua  personatvs  Coinst. 

On  plantain  leaves,  Caguas,  January  11. 

On  Anona  muricata,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

( >n  banana  leaves,  C atana,  February  21. 

On  (  ocoanut  palm,  Mayaguez,  January  20;  Caguas,  January  11. 
A*})idiotns  destructor  Sign. 

On  banana  leaves,  C atana,  February  21. 

On  banana  leaves,  San  Juan,  January  5. 

On  banana  leaves,  Arroyo,  February  3. 

GENERAL  NOTES. 

A  DIPTEROUS   ENEMY    OF   CUCURBITS   IN   THE    HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS. 

March  13,  1899,  we  received  from  Mr.  George  Compere,   Honolulu, 

Hawaiian  Islands,  specimens  of  what  is  locally  known  as  the  melon  or 
cucumber  fly.  Our  correspondent,  writing  under  date  of  February  14, 
1899,  states  that  this  is  a  very  serious  pest  with  vegetable  growers,  as  it 
destroys  more  than  75  per  cent  of  the  watermelons,  cantaloupes,  and 
cucumbers  grown  in  those  islands.  He  writes,  in  substance,  that  tin- 
parent  flies  are  to  be  found  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  that  they 
puncture  the  cucumber,  which  is  the  only  plant  on  which  our  corre- 
spondent has  observed  the  species,  on  the  upper  side,  and  generally 
near  the  stem  end,  this  operation  taking  place  when  the  cucumber  is 
abouthalfor  two-thirds  grown.     In  the  punctures  thus  made  they  deposit 


94 

their  eggs,  which  soon  hatch  into  minute  footless  white  maggots.  Their 
presence  in  the  cucumber  is  manifested  by  a  small  yellow  spot  where  the 
puncture  was  made.  Twenty  seven  minute  maggots  were  counted  in 
one  of  these  punctures.  In  one  cucumber  that  had  been  punctured  three 
times  in  different  places  116  of  these  maggots  were  counted.  These 
maggots  eat  out  the  entire  inner  substance  of  the  fruit  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  seeds,  leaving  only  the  outer  skin,  which  turns  yellow  and 
decays,  when  a  slight  touch  or  a  few  drops  of  rain  will  cause  it  to 
collapse.  By  that  time  the  maggots  have  all  attained  their  growth, 
and  if  any  of  them  become  exposed  to  the  sunlight  they  immediately 
draw  themselves  together  and,  after  the  manner  of  the  cheese  maggot 
and  other  species  that  might  be  mentioned,  spring  in  all  directions, 
jumping  as  high  as  3  feet.  If  the  skin  of  the  cucumber  be  left  iutact 
they  will  emerge  from  the  decayed  pulp  on  the  underside  and  burrow 
at  once  into  the  earth  for  pupation.  Fourteen  days  after  placing 
maggots  in  a  breeding  jar,  with  soil  kept  constantly  moist,  Mr.  Compere 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  adult  flies. 

In  the  conclusion  of  this  letter  our  correspondent  adds,  as  a  warning, 
that  watermelons,  canteloupes,  and  cucumbers  should  never  be  allowed 
to  be  shipped  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands  into  the  United  States.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  this  insect  could  be  introduced  into  several  of  our 
Southern  States  or  recently  acquired  iusular  possessions,  and  it  is  one 
of  those  species  for  which  quarantine  inspectors  should  be  on  the  look- 
out. No  class  of  vegetables,  if  we  except  cabbages  and  botanically 
related  plants,  are  so  badly  infested  with  insects  as  are  the  cucurbits, 
and  the  introduction  of  another  new  pest  is  most  undesirable. 

The  insects  were  referred  to  Mr.  Coquillett,  of  this  office,  who  after 
careful  examination  pronounced  the  species  an  undescribed  Trypetid. 
He  has  accordingly  given  it  the  name  of  Dacus  cucurMtce,  and  has 
published  a  descriptiou  of  it  in  Entomological  News  for  May,  1899, 
under  the  title  "A  New  Trypetid  from  Hawaii." 

A  TROUBLESOME   TWIG   GIRDLER   OF   THE   SOUTHWEST. 

October  23,  1899,  we  received  from  Mr.  Morgan  E.  Wise,  Oalabasas, 
Ariz.,  specimens  of  the  twigs  of  mesquite  [Prosopis  Jul  [flora)  girdled  by 
the  long  horned  beetle  (Ondderes  putator),  together  with  the  statement 
that  this  very  valuable  tree  is  much  injured  by  the  girdler.  The  pre- 
vious year  the  beetles  had  doue  much  injury,  so  that  this  year  the 
girdled  twigs  snapped  off  dead.  Our  correspondent  was  of  the  opinion 
that  if  this  condition  of  affairs  continued  that  ultimately  the  mesquite 
tree  would  be  exterminated  by  being  so  badly  crippled  as  to  preclude 
the  possibility  of  its  bearing  fruit. 

Mr.  Schwarz,  of  this  division,  who  has  traveled  very  extensively 
through  that  portiou  of  the  Southwest,  states  that  this  beetle  is 
extremely  injurious  to  the  mesquite,  particularly  in  western  Texas, 
southern  New  Mexico,  and  in  Arizona.  In  certain  localities  which  he 
visited  all  of  the  young  shoots  of  bushes  were  girdled,  which  has  the 


90 

ultimate  effect  of  amputation;  f>ut  old  trees  DeversufTer  much.  The 
trouble  he  believes  to  be  due  to  tin-  frequent  cutting  down  of  old  trees, 
as  this  in  a  measure  compels  the  beetles  to  attack  the  young  growth 
for  food  for  i  heir  3  oung. 

This  species,  us  its  seirnt  i  ii<*  nainr  im  Neat  es,  is  a  near  relative  of  the 
commou  hickory  twig  girdler  [Oncideres  riiif/nl<tt<<  Bay)  of  the  Eastern 
States,  accounts  of  which  have  been  published  in  most  text  books  on 
economic  entomology  and  which  is  treated  in  the  Fifth  Report  «>f  tlio 
United  states  Entomological  Commission,  on  pages  288-290.  The  man- 
ner of  working  of  the  twospecies  is  probably  very  similar  The  beetles 
of  both  occur  in  August  and  until  October.  If  the  injured  branches 
were  systematically  collected  and  burned  in  the  winter  or  before  the 
appearance  of  the  adults  in  August,  future  damage  could  be  greatly 
lessened,  particularly  if  these  measures  were  practiced  over  a  consider- 
able territory. 

NOTES   ON   COCKROACHES   IN    SOUTH   AUSTRALIA. 

Ill  regard  to  Mr.  Marlatt's  chapter  on  cockroaches,  I  beg  to  remark 
that  my  observations  on  our  native  ones  lead  me  to  slightly  different 

views  as  to  their  general  habits.  Thus,  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  Blat- 
tarian  eat  a  living  plant  in  nature,  but  frequently  found  them  devouring 
caterpillars,  other  soft-bodied  insects,  etc.  Plants  injured  where  they 
abound  I  have  always  found  to  have  been  attacked  by  snails,  caterpil- 
lars, etc.  In  my  garden  Epilampra  notabilis  occurs  in  numbers  at  cer- 
tain times,  and  with  its  multiplication  the  herbivorous  larva'  disappear 
rapidly,  and  1  have  always  spared  the  lives  of  such  forms  as  species  of 
Polyrasteria  and  Platyrasteria  which  might  be  taken  home  alive  with 
firewood  and  placed  among  the  boxes,  timber,  etc.,  of  my  outhouse,  yet 
have  never  observed  any  increase;  nay,  they  remain  very  few.  Still,  I 
suffer  very  much  less  than  others  from  depredations  of  the  notorious 
household  iusects.  Even  centipedes  and  spiders  are  protected  without 
the  slightest  bad  results,  but  instead  there  is  freedom  from  any  excessive 
insect  injuries.  I  regard  the  Blattariae  as  eminently  carnivorous,  of 
which  a  few  species  (the  domestic  ones)  have  developed  a  capacity  for 
amylacious  food  assimilation.  Although  Periplaneta  orientalis  and 
amerieana  were  very  troublesome  some  years  ago,  there  are  scarcely 
any  complaints  received  now,  though  they  are  by  no  means  extinct; 
and  this,  I  think,  is  in  consequence  of  the  application  of  a  very  simple 
remedy  which  I  have  recommended  in  every  case,  viz,  a  mixture  of 
plaster  of  paris  (I  part)  and  Hour  (3  to  4  parts)  in  a  saucer,  and  near  by 
another  fiat  plate  with  pure  water,  both  supplied  with  several  bridges 
to  give  easy  access,  and  one  or  two  thin  boards  floating  on  the  water, 
touching  the  margin.  The  insects  readily  eat  the  mixture,  become 
thirsty  and  drink,  when  the  plaster  sets  and  clogs  the  intestines.  The 
insects  disappear  in  a  few  weeks,  the  bodies  no  doubt  eaten  by  the  sur- 
vivors. Where  a  tew  of  the  large  kinds  occur,  the  small  ones  disappear 
quickly,  and  it  took  a  long  time  before  I  could  secure  a  sample  of 


96 

Phyllodromia  germanica  (last  year  only).  I  have  seen  and  captured 
large  and  small  kinds  in  my  own  bouse,  but  they  never  increase  beyond 
a  few  stray  ones  and  give  me  trouble.  The  only  kind  of  pyrethrum 
powder  I  found  effective  is  Keating's;  the  others  only  seem  to  intoxi- 
cate, but  not  to  kill.  Neither  fleas,  bedbugs,  ants,  nor  moquitoes  appear 
to  be  proof  against  its  effects  nor  the  minute  pests  infesting  dried 
plants. — J.  G.  O.  Tepper,  Adelaide,  South  Australia. 

INSECTIVOROUS   HABITS   OF   LIZARDS. 

Our  prettiest  lizards  are  the  most  useful  ones.  Our  three  kinds  of 
horned  toads  are  great  eaters.  I  have  never  known  one  to  eat  anything 
but  live,  moving  insects. 

While  the  garden  toad  feeds  mostly  by  night,  the  lizards  feed  by  day 
and  bury  themselves  at  night,  both  as  a  protection  from  nocturnal 
enemies  and  to  absorb  moisture  from  the  earth.  Contrary  to  general 
report,  they  do  sometimes  drink.  I  have  seen  pet  lizards  do  so.  A 
large  horned  toad  will  kill  a  small  snake,  probably  because  the  snake 
would  eat  its  young  ones.  The  young — sometimes  more  than  a  dozen — 
are  born,  each  inclosed  in  a  skin  covering  (some  call  it  an  egg).  In  an 
hour  or  so  this  skin  cracks  and  the  young  emerge  looking  just  like  their 
mother  and  begin  at  once  to  eat  minute  insects  that  are  so  small  that 
they  would  not  be  noticed  if  one  were  not  looking  for  them.  I  have 
seen  them  eat  bedbugs  when  a  few  weeks  old.  Our  several  kinds  of 
blue-tailed  lizards  eat  the  most  minute  insects  as  well  as  worms  so  large 
that  they  have  to  bite  them  off  in  mouthfuls.  They  dig  about  the  roots 
of  plants  with  their  tiny  hand-like  forefeet  and  bring  out  something 
that  makes  a  noise  when  they  crush  it,  whether  eggs  of  insects  or  hard- 
shelled  insects  I  could  not  tell.  Like  the  horned  toad,  they  are  fly- 
catchers, ant-eaters,  and  worm-eaters.  It  is  often  said  that  " blue- 
tailed  lizards  are  spitters  and  ought  to  be  killed:"  that  ••horned  toads 
are  as  poisonous  as  rattlesnakes;"  that  "the  bite  of  a  horned  toad  makes 
a  sore  that  will  not  heal."  When  I  see  the  persecution  that  these  harm- 
less animals  suffer,  I  wish  that  they  could  bite.  Unlike  birds,  they 
can  not  fly  away,  and  they  never  meddle  with  fruit  or  grain.  The  pretty 
leopard-like  Holbrookia  eats  some  herbage  as  well  as  insects.  A  baby 
Holbrookia  an  inch  long  will  eat  an  apple  worm  half  an  inch  long. 
When  put  in  the  flytrap  cage  these  lizards  first  pick  out  the  very  large, 
black,  and  bright-colored  flies  before  eating  the  house  flies. 

Dipsosaurus  dorsalis  eats  herbage  only. 

Crotaphytus  is  a  cannibal,  eating  the  young  of  the  horned  toads  and 
all  kinds  of  insectivorous  lizards.  It  eats  herbage  aud  some  insects, 
but  no  doubt  does  more  harm  than  good.  The  blue-tailed  lizards  are 
Cnemidophorus  and  Utas.  Natural  enemies  are  cats,  dogs,  ground 
squirrels,  and  chickens,  fiats  and  snakes  are  very  destructive  to  she 
young.  These  lizards  could  be  shipped  to  any  part  of  the  United 
States  except  during  the  breeding  season — the  middle  of  summer — and 
I  think  could  stand  the  cold  and  other  climatic  conditions. 


Little  girls  and  ladies  own  pet  lizards;  boys  and  gardeners  Kill  them. 

\f\t  fall  [expect  to  be  able  to  report  on  other  groups  of  lizards.  My 
efforts  to  introduce  them  as  insect  destroyers  have  failed  because  towns 
have  not  been  williug  to  protect  them  ;m<l  destroy  their  enemies,  while 
private  individuals  could  n<>t  protect  them.  -Winnie  Harward, 
Albuquerqm  .  A  .  Mex. 

ON    ill!.    BEOKNl    SPREAD    OP     Mil:     M  EDI  I  BB  B  \  m:  \  N     PLOUB     MOTH. 

Since  the  first  reported  invasion  of  flour  mills  by  Ephestia  kuehniella 
in  Ontario,  Canada,  in  the  year  L889,  the  spread  of  this  species  in  North 
America  has  been  fortunately  comparatively  slow.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  its  further  dissemination  has  been  prevented  largely  through  the 
many  notices  of  its  Injuriousness  and  of  the  precautions  to  be  used 
against  it  that  have  been  published  in  scientific  periodicals  and  other 
publications,  and  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  methods  for  the 
insect's  suppression.  Et  is  equally  positive  that  the  insect  had  been 
present  in  this  country,  and  in  each  of  the  several  localities  where  it 
was  first  reported  as  injurious,  sonic  years  previous  to  the  dates  >\>i-i- 
ified,  as  it  requires  usually  several  years  for  almost  any  species  of  in- 
sect to  become  seriously  injurious  in  a  new  locality.  As  an  example  of 
this  it  is  only  necessary  to  cite  the  observation  of  Danysz,  who  traced 
the  occurrence  of  this  flour  moth  in  America  back  to  the  year  1880, 
nine  years  before  its  reported  occurrence  in  injurious  abundance  here. 

The  recorded  spread  of  this  species  after  the  first  Canadian  invasion 
mentioned  is,  in  brief,  as  follows:  In  1892  it  first  became  destructive 
about  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  aud  is  very  troublesome  there  and  elsewhere 
in  that  State  even  at  the  present  time,  in  spite  of  the  most  approved 
methods  that  have  been  devised  and  put  in  use  for  its  destruction. 
In  1893  its  occurrence  was  noticed,  though  not  in  flouring  mills,  at 
Loveland,  Colo.,  on  houeycomb,  the  larvae  seeming  to  feed  on  pollen  in 
the  cells  (C.  P.  Gillette,  Bui.  No.  47,  Colo.  Agl.  Expt.  Sta.,  pp.  50,  51). 

In  May,  1895,  its  appearance  was  noted  in  mills  in  southwestern  Xew 
York  State,  presumably  near  the  Pennsylvania  State  line.  Although 
the  locality  has  not,  to  my  knowledge,  been  published,  correspondence 
between  the  miller  and  Prof.  W.  G.  Johnson,  who  first  reported  this 
outbreak  in  a  milling  journal  in  May,  1895,  elicited  the  information 
that  the  species  had  been  present  in  that  locality  at  least  since  1893. 
Later  the  species  occurred  in  Pennsylvania.  In  both  these  localities  it 
was  injurious  in  flouring  mills. 

Very  recently  the  pest  has  been  discovered  in  Ohio,  in  Stark  County, 
as  well  as  in  various  new  localities  in  States  where  the  species  has  been 
previously  observed.  These  localities  have  been  given  by  Professor 
Johnson  in  recent  publications. 

We  have  now  to  record  the  occurrence  and  probable  establishment  of 
this  pest  in  Minnesota,  in  the  very  center  of  the  most  extensive  milling 
plants  in  this  or  any  country. 
11608— No.  22 7 


98 

October  12,  1898,  Prof.  II.  L.  Osborn,  Hainline  University,  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  sent  to  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  larvae  of 
this  species,  from  which  the  imago  was  subsequently  reared,  taken  iu 
flour.  It  came  to  a  laboratory  at  Mainline  University  in  a  sack,  and  was 
transferred  to  an  empty  barrel,  where  it  had  remained  since  the  preced- 
ing June.  The  previous  history  of  the  barrel  was  not  known,  and  could 
not  be  traced.  Professor  Osborn,  however,  wrote  us,  under  date  of 
October  19,  that  the  flour  was  purchased  in  St.  Paul  in  April  of  that 
year,  and  was  not  opened  until  fall,  as  the  house  was  closed  during  the 
summer,  while  the  owner  was  absent.  About  the  middle  of  September 
the  servant  began  to  use  the  flour,  and  from  what  our  correspondent 
writes,  it  seems  probable  that  there  was  every  chance  that  some  of 
the  larvae  made  their  escape.  As  soon  as  Professor  Osborn  became 
acquainted  with  the  identity  of  the  insect  he  killed  all  of  the  larvae  that 
could  be  found,  so  that  there  conld  be  no  possibility  of  their  escap- 
ing and  developing;  but  it  is  possible  that  some  of  them  had  already 
made  their  escape  before  this  time. 

Nothing  further  has  been  learned  concerning  this  occurrence,  but  it 
is  believed  best  to  bring  the  matter  to  public  notice,  so  that  millers  in 
the  vicinity  of  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  may  be  forewarned,  and  hence 
the  better  able  to  cope  with  this  insect  should  it  make  its  appearance 
in  their  mills  and  warehouses.  The  fact  that  it  is  the  most  pernicious 
of  all  mill  insects  is  well  established,  as  well  as  that  it  is  capable  of 
developing  upon  all  sorts  of  ground  cereals. 

In  addition  to  the  localities  mentioned  above,  this  species  has  been 
recorded  from  North  Carolina,  Alabama,  and  New  Mexico,  but  evidence 
is  wanting  to  show  that  its  occurrence  in  these  States  is  iu  mills,  or  that 
it  is  established  there  otherwise  than  in  the  open.  It  is  known  to  live  in 
the  nests  of  wild  bees,  and  in  the  three  States  last  mentioned  it  may  not 
even  occur  in  the  vicinity  of  mills  or  storehouses. — F.  H.  Chittenden. 

NOTE    ON   TWO    SPECIES   OF    "LIGHTNING   HOPPERS." 

During  the  past  two  years  two  species  of  hoppers  of  the  family  Ful- 
goridae  have  been  noticed  in  considerable  numbers  on  useful  plants  in 
the  District  of  Columbia  and  near-by  points  of  Maryland  and  Yirginia. 
One  of  these,  Ormenis  (Pceciloptera)  jwuinosa,  or  the  frosted  lightning 
hopper,  as  it  has  been  called,  is  new  to  the  list  of  apple  insects  as 
recently  revised  by  the  late  Dr.  Lintner,  while  Chlorockroa  (Flata) 
conicahas  not  been  mentioned  in  the  list  of  grape  insects  published  by 
Prof.  Lawrence  Bruner  (Kept.  Nebr.  State  Hort.  Soc.  for  1895,  pp.  69-72). 

Both  species  are  reputed  to  weaken  and  distort  the  young  and  tender 
shoots  and  other  growth  of  their  food  plants  by  the  innumerable  minute 
punctures  which  they  make  for  the  deposition  of  their  eggs  and  for 
food,  and  both  have  the  singular  habit  of  congregating  in  rows  or  ranks 
of  half  a  dozen  or  more  on  the  vines  or  tree  twigs  which  they  infest. 
When  disturbed  all  the  individuals  retreat  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
vine  or  twig  in  almost  as  complete  unison  as  a  squad  of  soldiery. 


99 

Orwenis pruinoaa  Say,  Nymphs  nearlj  mil  grown  and  b  f«-w  adults 
of  this  species  were  foaud  dariug  the  last  week  of  June,  1890,  upon 
apple  al  Cabin  John.  Mil.  Borne  were  upou  the  leaves  and  some  upon 
the  stems  of  the  fruit  They  readily  attraci  attention  bj  thesofl  white 
flocculent  substance  which  is  Beereted  and  forms  in  a  light  mass  about 
tlai  iiNiuplis  and  which  remains  for  some  time  after  the  nympha  have 

issnrd  as   perfect    insects  and   gone  to  some  oilier  portion  of  the  plant. 

Nymphs  and  adults  were  also  found  in  great  abundance  on  plum,  both 
at  this  place  and  in  the  'District  of  Columbia,  as  well  as  on  cherry, 
potato,  three  sided  Mercury  [Acalypha  virginica),  virgin's  bower 
(Clematis  virginiana)}  and  trumpet  creeper  (Tecoma  radicans).  Although 
a  general  feeder  this  species  appears  to  favor  climbing  plants. 

This  hopper  has  received  rather  frequent  mention  in  different  eco- 
nomic, including  governmental,  publications.  The  first  of  these  that  I 
find  is  by  Miss  M.  B.  Murtfeldt  (Bui.  No.  13,  o.  s.,  pp.  61,62),  in  which 
special  reference  is  made  to  abstractiveness  to  foliage  and  stalks  of 
dahlia  at  Kirkwood,  Mo.,  in  1886.  In  one  garden  plants  were  injured 
beyond  recovery,  In  volume  I'Y  of  Insect  Life  (p.  112)  brief  notice  i^ 
given  of  reported  ravages  on  so-called  "California  hedge  plant"  in 
Texas.  In  volume  V  of  t he  same  publication  p.  L55)  it  is  mentioned 
brietly  by  Miss  Murtfeldt  among-  the  enemies  of  Osage  orange,  and  in 
Bulletin  No.  32  (p.  38)  the  same  writer  states  that  the  insect  was 
remarkably  abundant  in  1893  in  vineyards  in  Missouri,  where  it  was 
popularly  mistaken  for  u  mealy  bug,71  and  that  it  caused  considerable 
blighting  of  the  leaves  and  twigs.  A  still  longer  account  was  given  in 
the  Fifth  Report  of  the  United  States  Entomological  Commission  (p. 
281)  from  notes  by  Professor  Riley,  the  food  plants  mentioned  includ- 
ing elm.  hackberry,  maple,  red  clover,  and  Erigeron  canadense.  Illus- 
trations of  the  species  and  a  short  account  of  its  habits  and  of  the 
method  of  its  attack  on  sassafras  were  given  by  the  same  writer  in  his 
Fifth  Missouri  Report  (p.  122). 

Chlorochroa  conica  Say. — This  beautiful  green  species  was  taken  in 
some  numbers  at  Colonial  Beach  in  July,  1897.  The  adults  fed  upon 
grape,  and  it  was  reared  from  nymphs  found  on  the  same  plant.  Its 
favorite  food  plant  was  not  grape,  but  hop,  and  its  occurrence  on  grape 
was  due  to  an  overflow  from  the  hop  vines  upon  which  it  was  present 
in  large  numbers. 

This  species  has  also  been  recorded  as  occurring  on  Osage  orange 
and  lilac,  the  tender  shootsof  which  plant,  according  to  Miss  Murtfeldt 
(Bui.  No.  13, 1.  c),  it  weakens  in  the  same  manner  as  does  the  Ormenis. — 
F.  H.  C. 

COTTON   INSECTS    IN    EGYPT. 

In  the  May  and  dune  numbers  of  the  "Journal  of  the  Khedival 
Agricultural  Society,''  published  at  Cairo,  Egypt,  there  is  an  article  by 
Mr.  George  P.Foaden  on  "  Insect  and  other  pests  injurious  to  cotton  in 
Egypt."  The  author  deals  chiefly  with  two  insects,  the  cotton  worm, 
Prodeniti  littoralis,  and  the  boll  worm,  Earias  insulana. 


100 

The  Prodenia  differs  from  the  Aletia  of  our  Southern  States  in  at 
least  three  important  points — the  moth  lays  her  eggs  on  one  or  two 
leaves  only,  the  pupal  period  is  passed  in  the  ground,  and  the  cater- 
pillar feeds  on  various  crops,  as  berseem,  maize,  and  barley.  There 
are  at  least  five  broods  in  a  season  on  the  cotton.  Sometimes,  if  the 
cotton  is  sown  on  land  recently  in  berseem  (a  winter  forage  plant),  the 
stems  of  the  young  cotton  plants  will  be  eaten  close  to  the  ground, 
thus  necessitating  replanting.  The  habit  of  the  moth  in  placing  her 
eggs  mostly  on  one  or  two  leaves  is  the  clew  to  the  best  remedy — the 
picking  of  these  leaves  before  the  larva*  leave  them.  About  a  month 
after  this  the  cotton  should  be  heavily  flooded  to  destroy  any  caterpil- 
lars which  escaped  and  are  now,  as  pupae,  in  the  ground.  The  intelli- 
gent use  of  these  two  measures  prevents  any  serious  damage  to  the 
crop. 

The  Egyptian  boll  worm  (Ear las  insulana),  known  to  us  through  the 
writings  of  Frauenfeld  and  others,  is,  like  our  own  form,  not  so  easily 
controlled.  One  egg  is  laid  by  a  moth  on  a  boll,  the  larva,  hatching, 
gnaws  into  and  destroys  the  contents  of  the  boll.  It  passes  the  winter 
in  a  grayish  white  cocoon  which  is  fastened  to  the  bracts  of  a  flower. 
No  real  remedy  has  been  found;  the  only  measure  of  value  is  the  burn- 
ing of  the  cotton  wood  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  gathering  of  the 
crop. 

Two  other  insects  are  mentioned  as  of  minor  importance.  One,  a 
plant-louse,  Aphis  ulmarce,  sucking  the  leaves;  the  other  a  Lygaeid, 
Oxycarenus  hyalinipennis,  which  infests  the  bolls  damaged  by  the 
Earias. — N.  B. 

A  COTTON  STAINER  IN  PERU. 

We  recently  received  from  Mr.  Eduardo  Fowks,  of  Paita,  Peru,  a 
bug  congeneric  with  and  rather  closely  resembling  the  well-known 
cotton  stainerof  the  Southeastern  United  States  (Dysderciissutureilus), 
2b  full  account  of  which  was  published  in  Insect  Life  (Vol.  I,  p.  234), 
and  which  was  further  mentioned  in  the  writer's  account  of  insects 
affecting  the  cotton  plant  (U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric,  Farmers'  Bulletin, 
"No.  47).  The  Peruvian  insect,  which  proves  to  be  Dysdercus  ruficoUis 
Linn.,  has  the  same  habits  as  our  North  American  species,  piercing  the 
bolls  and  staining  the  cotton,  reducing  the  value  of  the  cotton, 
according  to  Mr.  Fowks,  "from  4  to  G  cents  a  pound."  The  common 
name  (presumably  Indian)  is  Eabi  atadi,  which  signifies  " tails  tied 
together,"  the  name  being  given  from  the  fact  that  the  adult  insects 
are  usually  found  attached  in  this  way.  During  1898  the  damage  to 
two  cotton  plantations  at  Paita  from  this  insect  was  at  least  $10,000. 

BIOLOOIC    OBSERVATIONS    ON   HARP  ALUS   PENNSYLVANICUS   DEG. 

One  of  the  commonest  insects  over  a  wide  extent  of  territory  in  this 
country  is  the  ground  beetle,  Harpalus  pennsylvanicus  DeG.  In  the 
late  Dr.  Riley's  First  Missouri  Report  (p.  59)  the  adult  of  this  species 
is  figured,  as  also  a  larva,  which  latter  is  fully  described  and  which  was 


101 

believed  i<>  probabh  be  the  same  species.  Since  the  publication  of 
thai  report  in  L868,  the  laine  species  has  received  frequent  mention  in 
reports  and  other  publications  of  l>r.  Riley,  as  also  by  many  other 
economic  entomologists.  The  species  has  in  some  waj  gained  general 
credit  for  being  efficient  as  a  destroyer  of  injurious  insects,  but,  to  the 
best  of  the  writer's  knowledge,  its  exact  economic  status  lias  never 
been  dearly  defined.  The  observations  which  will  be  here  presented, 
although  not  bearing  upon  this  subject,  to  any  considerable  extent,  are 
of  interest  as  being,  perhaps,  the  first  actual  observations  on  the  living 
habits  of  the  larva.  Prom  the  fact  that  the  larvae  were  found  so  deep 
under  ground,  and  in  the  absence  of  other  species  that  might  have 
served  for  food,  it  would  seem  not  improbable  that   they  subsist  toa 

considerable  extent  upon  angleworm 8  rather  than  on  the  larvae  and 
pupa-  ot*  other  insects.  A  comparison  with  the  illustration  and  descrip- 
tion of  the  larva  mentioned  in  the  First  Missouri  Report  and  umm|  the 
same  year  in  the  American  Entomologist  (Vol.  [, p. 34),  show  that  this 
is  not  Harpalus  pennsylvanicus,  the  color  alone  being  sufficient  to 
exclude  it,  but  is  perhaps  Pterostichus  or  a  related  genus,  as  pointed 
out  in  volume  V  of  Insect  Life  (p.  209).  The  species  treated  by  Riley 
in  the  First  Report  of  the  CJ.  3.  Entomological  Commission  (p.  290,  fig. 
2 1  is,  however,  plainly  a  Harpalus,  or  at  least  a  closely  related  genus, 
and  perhaps  H.herbivagus  Say,  a  smaller  species  than  yennsylvanicus, 
and  undoubtedly  differing  toa  considerable  extent  in  structural  details 
and,  perhaps,  also  in  habits,  judging  from  the  fact  that  the  hypothetical 
herbivagus  is  much  darker  than  penmylvanicus.  The  latter  is  nearly 
white  throughout,  indicating  an  almost  exclusively  subterranean  habit. 
April  8,  189S,  while  preparing  a  little  plat  of  earth  for  experimental 
purposes  on  the  Department  of  Agriculture  grounds  a  single  larva 
and  two  adults  of  TIarp<(Ins  pennsylvanicm  DeG.  were  found  by  Mr. 
F.  C.  Pratt  at  a  considerable  depth  below  the  surface.  The  digging  of 
the  earth  began  at  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  grounds  and  pro- 
ceeded northward,  the  work  extending  over  portions  of  three  days. 
On  the  second  day  numerous  pupa'  and  only  a  single  larva  weie  found, 
and  on  the  third  day  in  the  northern  end  of  this  plat,  which  was  bor- 
dered at  this  side  by  a  driveway  aud  high  hedge  of  evergreens,  an 
abundance  of  larva'  were  taken,  with  only  one  or  two  pupa'.  The  last 
larva'  dug  up  were  the  smallest  and  least  mature.  The  most  mature 
individuals  were  found  on  the  southern  end  of  this  plat  and  the  least 
mature  on  the  northern  end.  Still  another  point  was  noticed,  namely, 
that  the  insects  occurred  for  the  most  part  within  about  2  or  3  feet  of 
an  Osage-orange  hedge  nearest  the  sidewalk.  Nearly  all  of  the  larvae 
and  pupa'  dug  up — about  40  in  number — were  found  at  a  depth  of  !>  or 
10  inches,  and  with  the  exception  of  three  individuals— beetles  and 
larva'  taken  on  the  first  day — were  within  about  20  feet  of  the  hedge 
and  trees  bordering  the  driveway.  These  details,  although,  perhaps, 
inconsequent  in  themselves,  are  mentioned,  as  the  occurrence  of  the 
insects  in  the  manner  narrated  was  as  noticeable  as  it  is  unexplainable. 


102 

The  larva'  that  were  kept  under  observation  burrowed  into  the  soil 
with  which  they  were  provided  and  remained  there  until  the  advent  of 
a  warm  spell,  which  happened  April  17,  when  they  came  up  from  the 
earth,  evidently  in  search  of  food. 

The  pupal  cells  observed  were  in  most  cases  rather  crude,  but  some 
few  were  fairly  well  defined — one  such  which  will  prove  a  fair  sample  of 
the  best,  measuring  about  20n,m  in  length,  half  that  in  width,  and 
nearly  as  deep  as  wide. 

A  larva  that  was  kept  under  observation  transformed  to  pupa  April 
15  and  the  imago  appeared  May  15,  this  individual  having  remained  as 
pupa  thirty  days. 

From  the  species  figured  and  described  by  Riley  as  E.  herbivagus, 
this  larva  may  be  distinguished  by  size  alone  as  well  as  by  color  and 
form,  but  it  also  agrees  in  many  particulars.  It  is  about  a  third  longer, 
measuring  0.85  inch  (11  to  12mm)  as  against  0.58  inch  for  her  hi  vagus. 
The  abdomen  does  not  taper  strongly,  all  of  the  segments  except  the 
last  three  being  of  similar  width  to  the  head  and  thorax.  The  color  is 
white,  the  thorax  being  bright  yellowish,  but  little  darker  than  the 
body.  The  mandibles  are  dark  brown  and  the  single  strong  median 
tooth  is  black.  The  body  is  clothed  with  short  yellowish  hairs  in  the 
same  manner  as  herbivagus,  but  these  are  more  sparse  than  in  the  figure 
of  that  species. 

One  of  the  pupae  taken  April  9,  while  being  placed  in  alcohol,  gave 
forth  a  parasitic  larva,  evidently  dipterous,  which  crawled  out  from 
the  under  surface  of  the  body  near  the  legs  of  its  host. — F.  H.  C. 

A  NEW  WESTERN  ENEMY  OF  THE  COLORADO  POTATO  BEETLE. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Green,  Waynoka,  Okla.,  has  sent  us  specimens  of  the  sol- 
dier bug  Periling  claudits  Say,  with  the  accompanying  information  made 
under  date  of  September  16,  1899,  that  the  species  is  an  enemy  of  the 
Colorado  potato  beetle.     He  writes  as  follows : 

These  bugs  appear  during  the  mouth  of  May.  They  have  a  bill  that  lies  close  to 
the  under  part  of  their  body  when  not  in  use.  They  deposit  their  eggs  (which  are 
black)  on  a  potato  leaf.  The  body  of  the  young  bug  is  a  bright  red  and  the  bead  is 
a  dark  blue,  almost  black.  As  they  grow  they  keep  shedding  their  skins  and  chang- 
ing in  appearance  until  they  are  grown.  The  young  bugs  commence  feeding  on  the 
eggs  of  the  potato  bug.  They  insert  their  bill  in  the  end  of  the  egg  and  suck  the 
juice.  One  little  bug  will  commence  on  a  nest  of  potato-bug  eggs  and  never  stop 
until  he  has  sucked  the  last  egg.  The  bugs,  both  young  and  old,  stick  their  bills 
into  the  young  potato  bugs,  and  when  these  are  scarce  they  do  not  hesitate  to  tackle 
old  ones.  They  do  not  stop  at  potato  bugs,  but  suck  all  the  miller  or  moth  eggs  they 
find,  and  even  destroy  the  worms  after  they  hatch.  I  saw  them  last  spring  with 
worms  on  their  bills  two  or  three  times  as  large  as  themselves. 

Worms  of  different  kinds  are  very  destructive  to  tomato  vines  in  Oklahoma.  Last 
spring  I  placed  one  nest  of  this  bug's  eggs  in  my  tomato  patch,  and,  for  two  months, 
or  until  the  bugs  left,  I  was  not  troubled  with  worms  of  any  kind.  It  was  here  that 
I  first  noticed  them  destroying  worms.  There  is  a  similar  bug,  belonging  to  the 
same  family,  perhaps,  that  destroys  the  moth,  eggs,  and  worms  in  the  katir  corn  in 
the  same  way.     If  we  only  had  some  means  of  protecting  these  valuable  insects 


103 

through  the  winter  they  would  prov<  rerj  aeefal  i<»  the  fiinri<  r  During  tbeli  breed- 
ing Benson  the  soMu-i  i»n-  |. ..>«,!•>,.,••*  .•  \  i.rac ions  appetite,  carrying  ;•  bog  on  bie  bill 
moel  oi  tbe  time,     During  the  Pall  end  winter  thej  lire  hidden  ewaj  in  drj  p 

;in«l  Beem  tt)  <;it    nothing.       Many  «>l    llirin  link   away   in   boTUee.       I   l<»iin.|    tin-  BCCOm< 

panying  specimens  In  the  bonee.  I  be  male  and  Female  ere  marked  a  little  different, 
tbe  male  being  red  where  thie -  la  yellow. 

NOTES   "N    KI8CELLANBOUS    INSECTS    in    KANSAS. 

Under  date  of  December  11,  L899,  Mr,  P.  P.  Crevecceur,  of  Onaga, 
Kan 8.,  wrote  that  on  June  0  of  thai  year  be  observed  an  individual  of 
the  distend  beetle,  Patomalus  estriatu8)  feeding  upon  a  i><>\  elder  plant- 
bug  [Leptocoris  trivittatus).  The  same  day  he  saw  a  specimen  of  the 
robber  ily  Dasyllis  tergissa)  feasting  on  a  honey  bee.  July  16  a  speci- 
men of  •■  granddaddy  long-legs"  (Phalangium  ventricosum  was  seen 
attacking  a  bine  wasp,  Chalybion  tceruleum,  in  his  house.  It  had  uearly 
devoured  the  abdomen,  but  whether  it  had  killed  the  wasp  or  found  it 
already  dead  was  not  ascertained.  July  20  the  targe  ground  beetle 
Pasimachus  punctulatus  was  observed  while  carrying  off  a  smaller 
ground  beetle.  Anisodaetylus  verticalis,  that  it  had  just  killed.  August 
20,  Mordella  Scutellaria  was  reared  from  a  yellow  pupa  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  in  length,  which  was  taken  August,  14  in  the  stem  of 
Amaranthus  chlorostachya.  The  Pyralid  moth.  Titanio  oetonalis  /ell.. 
was  reared  from  larva'  taken  June  20,  feeding  on  Onosmodium  caro- 
linianum  :  the  imago  issued  June  29. 

As  to  the  reported  statement  by  us  in  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  99  that  the 
white-marked  tussock  moth  (Orgyia  leucostigma)  had  not  yet  made  its 
way  west  of  Iowa,  so  far  as  known  to  our  Department,  Mr.  Crevecceur 
wrote  that  in  1898  two  or  three  larva'  were  observed  hanging  from  trees 
at  Onaga,  Kans..  and  in  1899  two  adults  were  reared  from  larvae  on 
box-elder,  and  that  as  long  back  as  1890  this  species  was  very  plentiful 
ou  walnut  trees  in  that  vicinity.  Onaga,  it  should  be  mentioned,  is  not 
farther  west  than  Lincoln,  Nebr.,  a  locality  also  recorded  by  us  for  this 
insect. 

Concerning  the  peculiar  buzzing  noise  made  by  the  large  ground 
beetle  (Harpdlus  caliginosus),  by  stridulation,  our  correspondent  wrote 
that  it  was  several  times  observed  during  the  summer.  The  habit  is 
now  well  known,  but  it  is  seldom  that  one  has  the  opportunity  of 
hearing  this  singular  noise  for  himself. 

AN    EMBARRASSING     FEATURE    OF    FOREIGN    INTERDICTION    AGAINST 
AMERICAN    PLANTS   AND    FRUITS. 

It  appears  from  a  dispatch  from  the  United  States  consul  at  Geneva 
that  the  vineyards  in  the  Canton  of  Vaud.  the  greatest  wine-producing 
sectiou  of  Switzerland,  have  Buffered  greatly  dining  the  year  1899,  as 
well  as  1S98,  from  the  grapevine  Phylloxera,  and  that  the  vine-growers 
of  all  French  Switzerland  are  greatly  concerned  over  the  present  situ- 
ation.     The  grand  council  of  the  Canton  of  Vaud  has  recommended  the 


104 

planting  of  American  vine  stock  throughout  the  wine-growing  territory. 
Under  the  present  laws  American  vines  can  not  be  introduced  into  the 
country,  but  the  grand  council  will  ask  the  Confederation  to  permit 
the  introduction  of  such  vines  under  strict  governmental  inspection. 

THE  GREEN  JUNE  BEETLE  OF  THE  SOUTHWEST. 

Writing  under  date  of  August  31,  1899,  Dr.  K.  E.  Kunzc,  Phoenix, 
Ariz.,  calls  attention  to  the  injuries  inflicted  by  the  Western  green 
June  beetle  (Allorhina  mutabilis  Gory)  in  southern  Arizona.  This 
species  has  received  some  mention  in  Insect  Life,  and  more  particularly 
by  Mr.  Townsend  in  Bulletin  No.  5  of  the  New  Mexico  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  page  10,  where  it  is  stated  to  be  extremely 
injurious  to  ripe  peaches,  apples,  pears,  tigs,  grapes,  and  other  fruits. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  Dr.  Kunze's  letter : 

A  few  words  about  the  Scarabfeid  Allorhina  mutabilis,  which  periodically  appears 
in  great  numbers  in  southern  Arizona  to  the  detriment  of  deciduous  fruit  trees  and 
vines.  My  observation  is  based  upon  a  continuous  residence  of  three  and  a  half 
years  during  closed  season  (December,  January,  and  February)  of  each  year.  This 
pestiferous  insect  destroys  the  first  fig  crop  of  the  year  in  southern  Arizona.  Next 
to  the  fig,  this  beetle  attacks  grapes.  Peaches,  apricots,  nectarines,  pears,  and 
apples  are  in  turn  destroyed,  the  last  two  fruit  trees  the  least  of  any.  While  in 
Tucson,  season  of  1897,  Mr.  Elliott,  ex-postmaster,  told  me  that  his  crop  of  garden 
grapes  was  annually  destroyed  by  mutabilis.  He  picked  off  the  beetles  as  fast  as  he 
could,  and  within  two  days  beetles  and  berries  were  alike  gone.  Other  residents 
related  the  same  story  concerning  their  fig  crop. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1898  in  Phoenix  I  observed  mutabilis  hanging  to  a  single  fig 
in  clusters  the  size  of  a  folded  pair  of  hands,  and  when  the  stem  was  eaten  off  would 
drop  to  the  ground,  flying  in  every  direction. 

Mr.  S.  M.  Barrows,  of  Tombstone,  whose  family  camped  with  me  in  the  Hnachucaa 
during  July,  1899,  informed  me  that  his  grapes  were  usually  eaten  up  by  mutabilis. 

A  NOTE   ON   THE    COCKLEBUR   BILL-BUG. 

One  of  the  insects  figured  and  treated  by  the  late  Dr.  Riley  in  his 
Third  Missouri  Report  (p.  60)  and  in  the  report  of  this  Department  for 
1881-82  (p.  142)  is  the  gayly-colored  red  and  black  snout  beetle,  Rhodo- 
bcvnus  13-punctatus  111. 

This  species  is  said  to  attack  cultivated  sunflower,  but  as  neither 
this  nor  any  other  stem  borers  that  attack  the  large-stemmed  com- 
posites have  any  apparent  effect  on  the  vitality  of  the  plant  the 
species  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  of  economic  importance  either  as  a 
destroyer  of  cultivated  plants  or  of  weeds.  The  insect  is,  however,  of 
interest  by  reason  of  its  near  relationship  to  the  genus  Sphenophorous, 
many  species  of  which  are  injurious  to  corn  and  other  Graminea?,  and 
and  are  known  generally  throughout  the  country  as  corn  bill-bugs. 

Two  imagos  and  one  pupa  were  taken  recently  during  September 
near  Rosslyn.  Va.,  from  the  stems  of  the  Joe-Pye  weed  (Eupatorium 
perfoliatum)  a  single  individual  in  each  stem.  Several  other  stems 
which  comprised  this  clump  were  opened,  all  of  which  betrayed  un- 


I  Ofj 

mistakable  evidence  of  having  been  recently  tenanted  i>.\  thiH  Bpecies, 
the  accumulated  castings  aud  the  siec  of  fctae  exit  !i<'l<-  indicating 
the  nature  of  the  late  occupant  In  almost  everj  stem  then-  was 
equal  proof  of  the  presence  of  a  second  tenant,  vi/.,  Languria  mozardi, 
the  latter  occupying  the  upper  portion  of  the  stem,  the  Calandrid  the 
lower.  The  species  was  also  louiui  breeding  in  the  stems  of  the 
so-called  large-flowered  leaf-cup  Polymnia  uvedalia)  at  Marshall 
Ball,  Md. 

Other  food  plants  thai  have  been  recorded  lor  this  insect  belong  to 
the  genera  Xauthium,  Eelianthus,  Cirsium,  Ambrosia,  and  Silphium. 
Some  time  ago  Rev.  G,  l>.  llulst  informed  me  that  this  Bpecies  also 
breeds  in  the  stems  of  Verrtonia,  and  it  seems  probable  that  it  will 
thrive  in  all  the  Composite  if  not  also  on  some  other  plants  which 
have  stems  of  sufficient  size  and  structure  for  its  occupancy. 

The  hibernated  imagos  appear  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  District  of 
Columbia  as  early  as  the  first  week  in  May.  and  the  newly  bred  imagOS 
have  been  found  the  first  week  of  September. 

Two  parasites  of  this  species  have  been  observed  by  the  writer.  The 
first  of  these  is  the  chalcidid  Habrocytus  rhodobceni  Ashm.,  reared 
from  material  from  Rosslyn,  Ya.,  and  described  in  189G  (Tr.  Am.  Ent. 
Soc.  Vol.  Will,  p.  220),  and  the  other,  also  a  chalcidid,  is  unde- 
scribed.—  V.  B.C. 

REPORTED    IN. I  TRY    BY   GIANT    SCARAB. KID   BEETLES. 

July  27,  L899,  we  received  through  Trot'.  F.  S.  Earle,  Auburn,  Ala., 
specimens  of  both  sexes  of  Strategics  antceus,  a  relative  of  the  well- 
known  rhinocerus  beetle  Dynastes  tityus,  with  an  inelosure  from  Mr. 
0.  W.  Ewing,  Gadsden,  Ala.,  who  reported  severe  injury  by  these 
beetles  to  orchard  trees,  particularly  peach.  A  specimen  of  the  root 
of  one  of  these  trees  accompanied  the  letter,  which  showed  the  gnaw- 
ing- of  some  animal.  Mr.  Ewing  seems  to  be  positive  that  beetles  were 
the  cause  of  the  injury.  No  such  instance  of  injury  by  this  species 
has  apparently  been  recorded,  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  it  may  have 
been  done  under  the  most  exceptional  circumstances,  as,  for  instance, 
in  a  locality  where  many  dead  roots  would  afford  breeding  places  for 
the  beetles.  A  similar  instance  of  injury  was  reported  by  our  corre 
spondent  on  the  authority  of  his  brother,  who  noticed  these  beetles 
upon  peach  trees  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

April  29,  Mr.  S.  0.  Gibson,  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  wrote  that 
Xyloryctes  satyrus,  another  related  species,  attacked  ash  in  his  vicinity, 
and  after  boring  a  hole  under  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  the  depth  of 
an  inch  or  two  u  seemed  to  destroy  the  bark  all  around  the  tree.v 

LOCUSTS    IN    ARGENTINA   AND    LOURENrO   MARQUEZ,    SOUTHEASTERN 

AFRICA. 

Through  Mr.  James  W.  Ayers,  United  States  consul  at  Kosario, 
Argentine  Republic,  the  Department  has  received,  by  courtesy  of  the 
Department  of  State,  a  clipping  from   the  Standard,  of  liueuos  Ayres 


106 

of  August  27,  1899,  stating  that  there  is  every  prospect  that  during  the 
comiug  season  (this  winter)  there  will  be  a  locust  invasion  in  great  force. 
The  statement  is  made  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Oliver  0.  James  of  Car- 
carafia,  who  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  authorities  in  the  Argentine 
Kepublic  on  questions  relating  to  locusts.  Mr.  James  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  permanent  breeding  grounds  of  the  South  Ameri- 
can locust  in  Uruguay  are  neglected,  and  emphasizes  the  fact  that 
money  spent  in  invaded  regions  is  absolutely  thrown  away  unless  sup- 
plemented by  coordinate  efforts  in  Uruguay. 

A  report  from  Mr.  W.  Stanley  Hollis,  United  States  consul  at  Lou- 
renco  Marquez,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Africa,  transmitted  in  the 
same  way  and  dated  August  24,  states  that  during  that  month  the  town 
was  twice  visited  by  dense  swarms  of  locusts  which  did  considerable 
damage  and  left  the  roofs  of  the  buildings  in  a  filthy  condition,  thereby 
necessitating  much  extra  cleaning.  As  all  of  the  drinking  water  is 
drained  from  the  roofs  and  stored  in  iron  tanks,  the  pollution  by  locusts 
is  a  serious  matter,  as  locust  droppings  are  most  offensive.  This  is  a 
new  aspect  of  locust  damage. 

A   NEW   CLOTHES-MOTH   REMEDY. 

Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  of  Washington,  uses  bisulphide  of  carbon  against 
clothes  moths.  He  has  a  wooden  chest  in  which  he  stores  away  his 
clothes.  In  the  cover  of  the  chest  he  has  a  large  auger  hole,  with  a 
sponge  tied  immediately  below  it.  In  midsummer  he  pours  a  few  drops 
of  bisulphide  of  carbon  through  the  auger  hole  upon  the  sponge  and 
closes  the  hole  with  a  cork.  He  states  that  by  virtue  of  this  treatment 
he  has  never  had  any  moths  in  his  clothes. 

NOCTURNAL   FLIGHT    OF    GRASSHOPPERS. 

The  following  interesting  note  has  been  sent  to  this  office  by  Dr.  H. 
M.  Smith,  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission: 

On  July  12, 1899,  between  11  and  12  o'clock  at  night,  there  was  a  remarkable  flight 
of  grasshoppers  at  the  light  house  in  Lake  Erie  off  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River. 
The  insects  were  of  large  size  and  very  numerous,  the  platform  around  the  lantern 
being  thickly  covered  with  them.  The  keeper  aroused  his  assistants  and  had  them 
sweep  the  grasshoppers  from  the  platform,  a  number  of  pailfuls  being  removed. 
Although  grasshoppers  have  occasionally  appeared  at  this  light  house  in  the  day- 
time this  is  the  first  instance  of  a  night  flight.  The  light  is  one  of  the  most  pow- 
erful and  conspicuous  on  Lake  Erie. 

After  comparison  with  named  specimens  in  Washington,  Dr.  Smith, 
from  recollection,  seems  reasonably  sure  that  the  species  was  the 
American  locust  (Schistocerca  americana).  This  species  is  a  strong 
flier,  and,  while  it  breeds  only  farther  south,  has  been  occasionally 
taken  in  Ontario.  This  remarkable  flight  noticed  by  Dr.  Smith  will 
account  for  the  Canadian  occurrences  of  this  species. 


107 

NOTES  FROM  CORRESPONDENCE. 

Habit:,  ol  Att.i  Insularis  Querin  in  Cuba.     \  correspondent,   Mr,   \.  M.  ^ 
sending  specimens  of  ;i  leaf .  nttei  ant,    Itta  intnlarit,  writes  1 1 ■ . ( r  these  Insects  w<  ra 
Introduced  some  yean  ago  into  the  lulls  of  another  rather  destructive  ant,  and 
proved  to  be  even  more  injurious  than  the  original  species,  linee  the]  did  oonaidera 
ble damage  to  young  poult  iv,  and,  in  fact,  to  all  young  domestic  animals.     He  write* 
further:  ".]  remember  that  my  father  some  years  ago  was  advised  to  propagate  thia 
ant  in  his  cane  fields,  where  mice  an<l  worms  were  doing  great  depredations  to  the 
sogar  cane.    Thai  evil  was  most  effectually  stopped,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
estate  was  ruined  for  several  years  for  breeding  purposes.     Even  oewlj  bom  chil- 
dren had  to  be  watched,  otherwise  thej  would  be  bitten  to  death  or  have  the! 
severely  injured.     In  ist;«»  1  visited  the  place  with  the  idea  of  turning  it  into  a  cattle 

ranch,  and  had  to  give  it  up.      The  ants  were  so  numerous  thai  1 1 1 « •  \   .ietu;ill\    would 

put  out  burning  charcoal.  A  hole  was  dug  in  the  ground  and  embers  put  into  it; 
so  many  would  crawl  over  them  thai  they  would  extinguish  the  Are.  In  L876thej 
disappeared  from  the  estate." 

A  New  Name  for  an  Old  Insect. — Under  date  of  June  28,  1899,  w  e  reoei>  ed  iron, 
a  corresponded  at   Princeton,  Iowa,  a  letter  of  inquiry  in  regard  to  what  he  calls 

"the  new  potato  beetle  or  fly,"  on  potatoes,  which  from  the  description  Was 
undoubtedly  a  blister  beetle.  The  insect  was  said  to  be  very  destructive,  taking 
the  place  of  the  "old-style  potato  hug,"  by  which  our  correspondent  undoubtedly 
referred  to  the  Colorado  potato  beetle.  .Soon  after  the  advent  of  the  latter  species 
iu  the  East  the  blister  beetles  became  known  as  the  "old-fashioned  potato  beetles/' 
and  it  is  one  of  the  strange  reversals  that  sometimes  happen  that  has  led  to  the 
Colorado  potato  beetle  being  now  called  "the  old-style  potato  bug,"'  while  the 
original  potato  destroyers  are  known  as  "the  new  potato  beetles." 

Injury  by  Wingless  May  Beetles  in  Texas.— May  22,  1899,  Mr.  G.  G.  Hood  wrote 
from  China  Springs,  Tex.,  that  the  distended  May  beetle,  Lachnosterna  farcta  Lee, 
specimens  of  which  were  sent,  was  doing  injury  to  collards  in  that  vicinity.  The 
beetles  were  observed  to  he  working  at  night  from  dark  until  about  10  o'clock,  when 
they  deserted  the  plants  and  entered  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  about  4  inches.  They 
were  first  observed  by  the  1st  day  of  March  and  had  visibly  decreased  in  numbers 
after  the  1st  of  May.  Young  plants  they  devoured  completely;  older  plants  they 
defoliated,  leaving  the  main  stalk.  Another  May  beetle,  Lachnosterna  lanceolafa  Say, 
was  also  found  to  attack  collards  and  was  noticed  more  or  less  every  year  since  1890. 
Their  principal  food  was  stated  to  be  "careless  weed"  (Amaranthus),  two  or  three 
species  of  which  grow  commonly  in  or  near  cornfields. 

The  New  York  "Weevil  in  Virginia. — Writing  of  the  so-called  New  York  weevil, 
Ithycent*  noraboracensis  Forst.,  in  1871,  the  late  Dr.  Riley  said  that  this  beautiful 
beetle  often  did  considerable  damage  to  fruit  trees  and  that  he  was  receiving  it  every 
spring  from  persons  who  desired  information  concerning  it.  Evidently  since  that 
time  the  species  has  for  some  reason  been  on  the  decrease,  as  no  cases  of  injury  have 
been  reported  to  this  division  since  June  of  1*79,  when  damage  was  observed  to 
fruit  trees  in  southern  Illinois. 

May  22,  1899,  Mr.  George  W.  Sandefur,  Sidna,  Carroll  County,  Va.,  sent  specimens 
of  the  beetle  with  the  information  that  the  species  was  destroying  his  apple  trees, 
cutting  off  the  leaves  and  twigs  of  various  Lengths  from  2  to  •;  inches.  Work  was 
noticed  to  be  done  chietly  at  night. 

The  present  year  injury  was  noticed  at    'Kome,  Ga.,  t<-  apple  and   peach  tret 
reported  by  Mr.  A.  L.  Quaintauce  in  ;i  preceding  bulletin  |  Bui.  No.  20,  p.  58 

Appearance  of  the  Twelve-spotted  Asparagus  Beetle  near  New  York  City. — 
Writing  under  date  of  June  6,  1899,  Mr.  Richard  P.  Pearaall  Btates  that  on  the  pre- 
vious day  he  discovered  a  colony  of  the  introduced  asparagus  pest,  Crioceris  t£-puno- 
tata,  in  the  outskirts  of  Brooklyn,  the  beetles  being  sufficiently  abundant  to  permit 


108 

the  capture  of  some  30  specimens.  This  is  not  the  first  record  of  the  occurrence  of 
the  species  in  New  York  .State,  hut  it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  noticed  near  New 
York  City  he  fore  this  time. 

Recent  Injury  by  the  Margined  Vine-chafer.— June  21,  1899,  Dr.  E.  K.  Harding 
Orange,  Va.,  wrote  that  this  insect,  Anomala  marginata  Fab.,  specimens  of  which 
were  sent  later,  was  troublesome  in  that  section  of  Virginia.  The  beetle  was  stated 
to  devour  the  leaves  of  fruit  and  other  trees  and  hushes,  eating  the  fruit  around  the 
stem  >o  as  to  cause  it  to  fall  off.     Injury  had  never  been  noticed  prior  to  1899. 

Food  Plants  of  the  Blister  Beetle  (Henons  confertus). — Under  date  of  June  7,1898, 
Mr.  F.  W.  Thurow,  Harvester,  Tex.,  writes  that  this  black  meloid  beetle,  specimens 
of  which  he  sends,  appears  to  be  a  general  feeder,  but  that  it  takes  a  special  liking 
to  Amari/llus  Candida,  an  early  fall-blooming  exotic  plant  cultivated  in  this  country. 
At  first  it  keeps  the  leaves  eaten  off,  afterwards  taking  the  flower  stem,  and  next  the 
ilower  itself.  Mr.  Schwarz  says  that  this  species  also  attacks  potato,  but  prefers 
wild  Solanum. 

The  Original  Home  and  a  New  Food  Plant  of  the  Harlequin  Cabbage  Bug. — Prof. 
T.  1  >.  A.  Cockerell  finds  at  Las  Vegas,  N.  Mex.,  and  formerly  at  Embudo,  X.  Mex.,  that 
Alurgantialiistrionicaoccuvs  abundantly  upon  a  Capparidaceous  plant,  Oleoma  serr id aia. 
He  thinks,  and  the  editor  sees  no  rea'son  to  differ  from  him,  that  the  Harlequin  cab- 
bage bug  is  probably  native  to  that  region,  and  that  the  Cleome  is  its  proper  food 
plant,  or  one  of  them. 

Injury  to  Strawberries  by  Myodocha  serripes. — June  1, 1899,  Mr.  T.  J.  Peyton, 
Rapidan,  Va.,  sent  specimens  of  the  Lygadd,  Myodocha  serripes  01.,  with  the  report 
that  it  was  very  injurious  to  strawberries  by  puncturing  the  fruit.  They  were 
observed  to  attack  the  berry  in  all  stages  of  its  growth,  but  did  not  attack  the  vine 
at  all.  They  begin  by  puncturing  the  fruit  as  soon  as  the  bloom  drops,  and  con- 
tinue until  the  berry  is  destroyed.  As  many  as  20  of  the  bugs  could  be  observed  on 
a  single  large  berry,  and  hundreds  were  about  each  plant.  They  were  stated  to 
increase  by  thousands  daily,  aud  to  be  destroying  our  correspondent's  entire  crop, 
which  gave  promise  of  being  very  large  for  the  space  planted.  Vines  were  stated 
to  have  from  50  to  75  green  berries  on  each,  and  from  most  of  them  not  a  single  ripe 
berry  was  obtained.  The  insects  punctured  the  small  ends  of  the  green  berries,  and 
this  ajipeared  to  retard  their  growth,  causing  them  to  become  small  and  knotty  and, 
of  course,  not  fit  to  eat.  Attack  by  this  insect  of  the  nature  specified  has  previously 
been  recorded  in  the  same  locality  by  Prof.  W.  G.  Johnson  (Bui.  No.  20,  n.  s.,  p.  63). 

Hibernation  of  the  Electric-light  Bug. — Mr.  H.  J.  Giddings,  of  Sabula,  Iowa, 
sent  to  this  office  under  date  of  February  4,  1899,  an  adult  specimen  of  Belostoma 
amencanum,  which  had  been  found  alive  under  the  ice  in  a  creek,  the  temperature  at 
the  time  being  10°  F.  below  zero. 

The  Praying  Mantis  as  an  Enemy  to  the  Apiary.— August  20,  1899,  Dr.  O.  M. 
Blanton,  Greenville  Miss.,  wrote  that  this  species,  Stagmomantis  Carolina,  specimens 
of  which  accompanied  his  letter,  was  quite  often  found  about  his  apiary  feeding 
upon  the  bees.  They  were  stated  to  devour  them  as  ravenously  as  a  cat  would  a 
mouse.  Our  correspondent  was  informed  that  these  insects  also  fed  upon  house 
flies. 

Mayflies  on  Lake  Erie. — The  following  note  has  been  received  from  Dr.  H.  M. 
Smith,  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission: 

Capt.  John  Baxter,  of  the  U.  S.  light-house  tender  Haze,  reports  that  he  has  at 
times  sailed  through  20  miles  of  dead  May-flies  in  the  middle  of  Lake  Erie. 

On  July  20,  1899,  I  found  on  the  flat  top  of  a  gas  buoy  near  the  national  boundary 
line  thousands  of  dead  May  flies.  About  one  year  ago  when  I  was  at  the  same  buoy 
there  were  many  more  May  flies  on  it.  The  entire  top,  about  4  feet  in  diameter,  was 
covered  with  a  mass  of  May  flies  fully  2  to  1  inches  thick;  these  had  been  matted 
into  a  compact  cake  by  rain  and  sun. 


109 

A  Plant-bug   1'iuMi.   ol    the  Green  Plant-bug.     In   Volume    I   ol  '   Insect 

plant  bug    /  nthyrhym  *  imi i     ••  I  '••  I 

orded  at  having  been  observed  in  the  act  ol  piercing  a  honej  bee.  Many  of  the 
plant-bugs  feed  with  apparently  equal  relish  on  either  plants  or  insects,  au<1  it  ii 
often  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  determine  the  eoonomio  status  ol  when  the 

■  has  this  dual  habit.  Is  further  continual  Ion  of  the  predaceous  habits  of  this 
b  pedes,  we  received,  nndei  date  of  January  2,  L899,  through  Mi.  B.  M.  Hampton, 
Lakemdnt,  Fla.,  q  speoimen  from  Mr.  J.  P.  Donnelly,  Mount  Dora,  Fla.,  who  cap 
tared  it  in  the  acl  of  dragging  the  green  plant- bug,  Yezara  hilariB,  along  the  ground. 
lt>  long  proboscis  was  found  on  nearer  observation  to  be  inserted  in  thee  liter  of 
the  abdomen  of  its  viotiui,  and  the  green  plant-bug  was  dead. 


. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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